Technologies

Spinal Cord Injuries (SCI) occurs when the cells within the spinal cord are damaged or the nerve tracts that relay signals up and down the spinal cord are severed. There are an estimated 250,000 people with SCI and roughly 10,000 new cases annually. Depending on the type and level of the injury, SCI can have different effects and is usually divided into two categories; complete and incomplete. A Complete injury means that there is no function below the level of the injury; no sensation, no voluntary movement, and an incomplete injury means that there is some functioning below the primary level of the injury. The American Spinal Injury Association also has further classifications.

Researchers at Arizona State University and Banner Good Samaritan Rehabilitation Institution have developed an implantable device that generates electrical epidural stimulation (EES) which, when used in conjunction with partial weight bearing therapy, restores functional ambulation in individuals having incomplete spinal cord injuries. Patients move from partial to full weight bearing gait training, until they have independent walking with EES with or without an assistive device.