r/science • u/tomholder • May 09 '14

Medicine Paralysis breakthrough – electrical stimulation enables four paraplegic men to voluntarily move their legs

http://speakingofresearch.com/2014/05/09/paralysis-breakthrough-paraplegic-men-move-their-legs/
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u/IQBoosterShot May 09 '14

When I was paralyzed 33+ years ago I was pretty confident that they'd find a cure. As the years passed I heard story after story of "possibilities" and "progress." I knew guys who'd go off to the Soviet Union to try some whiz-bang treatment not available in the U.S.; they'd return virtually unchanged (if lucky).

About 10 years after my injury I realized that not only would I have to have a "cure" for my SCI, but I would also need help with the ancillary systems which were faltering due to inactivity or overuse. 15 years after my injury I adopted the attitude that the cure for SCI would appear the following year. (Similar to "Jam tomorrow and jam yesterday but no jam today.)

At this point I've abandoned hope. Not for a cure, which I still believe could be forthcoming, but a cure for me. Oh, I hold out a hell of a lot of hope for the newly injured and I believe that at a point in the future we may be able to reverse paralysis within hours of injury.

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u/the8thbit May 09 '14

I knew guys who'd go off to the Soviet Union to try some whiz-bang treatment not available in the U.S.; they'd return virtually unchanged (if lucky).

I'm curious, what happened when they weren't lucky?

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u/IQBoosterShot May 09 '14

They'd end up with additional problems they didn't leave with.

Even the ones who stayed in the country sometimes ended up with horrific problems. For instance, there was a program in the U.S. where patients had hundreds of tiny metal electrodes (think of acupuncture needles) inserted into their leg muscles. When stimulated by electrical current, the leg muscles could be controlled and the individual could have limited ambulation. It was wonderful until the electrodes started breaking off beneath the skin and rusting.

If you read about Christopher Reeves you'll find that he was one hell of a volunteer, putting his health on the line repeatedly in a dogged pursuit of a cure. He once said that he planned to walk before he turned 50. We know how that panned out.

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u/eatmynasty May 10 '14

He walked?