Reversing Spinal Cord Injuries May Now be Possible
People who suffer with spinal cord injuries after a serious accident are often faced with life-long challenges. They could be paralyzed, live in excruciating pain, or suffer any myriad effects after the incident. A new study in the Journal of Neurophysiology supports evidence that patients whose nerves have been damaged as a result of an SCI are benefiting from peripheral nerve stimulation therapy, which can reverse the effects of the nerve deterioration in some instances.
The research team is based in the University of Sydney in Australia. Science Daily reports that the team worked with patients who has suffered an SCI within the last six months. The “patients with SCI underwent 30 minutes of electrical nerve stimulation therapy five days a week for six weeks on one limb,” while the other limb was left alone as a control. Their findings are extraordinary: “after six weeks of therapy, the nerves in the treated limb responded to electrical stimulation more like nerves in healthy subjects.”
The implications of the find
People with nerve damaged related to an spinal cord injuries often present with atrophying muscles: this is because the nerves which control those muscles are too damaged to do so any longer. As the nerves deteriorate, so do the muscles themselves. This deterioration affects the peripheral, or limb nerves, as much as it affects the nerves directly attached to the spine, and can lead to permanent paralysis.
With this new therapy, people who are beginning to lose the ability to control their arms or legs because of peripheral nerve deterioration may be able to keep more control over their limbs, or to regain control over limbs previously affected by the SCI. When used in conjunction with other approved therapies, some patients may be able to reverse their paralysis completely, as “short-term peripheral nerve stimulation may be a new approach to preventing long-term changes in nerve and muscle function and improving rehabilitation outcomes.”
The study does not incorporate any information about the long-term effects of the stimulation; there is no way of telling whether or not the therapy would need to be sustained throughout the course of a patient’s rehabilitation, or if the effects will only last for a specific amount of time. But for people who have been severely injured in car accidents or by being crushed – or in any catastrophic accident – this is good news so far. And a little hope can go a very long way in improving a patient’s outlook and overall health.
Christopher T. Nace works in all practice areas of the firm, including medical malpractice, birth injury, drug and product liability, motor vehicle accidents, wrongful death, and other negligence and personal injury matters.
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