A patient suffering from total paralysis of the lower limbs has regained the ability to walk independently, thanks to a long process of physiotherapeutic rehabilitation and an electrical stimulation implant, according to research published in the journal Nature.
Jered Chinnock was left paraplegic in 2013 after a snowmobile accident damaged his spinal cord. The device, which electrically stimulates the spinal cord, was implanted for 43 weeks and the patient underwent specific rehabilitation.
The researchers, from the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota (USA), discovered that the patient was able to intentionally contract his leg muscles at the end of the treatment, managing to walk about 100 metres using both legs and aided by a walking frame.
Now the aim is to find out how rehabilitation techniques interact with electrical stimulation to help patients regain damaged motor functions and whether this can be applied to other types of injuries.
Once again, technological advances have been successfully applied to physiotherapeutic treatments, achieving truly surprising results. The Degree in International Physiotherapy, in addition to being the only university degree in Barcelona taught entirely in English, also incorporates the latest technologies and benefits of gamification.
The School of New Interactive Technologies (ENTI-UB) delivers this degree together with EUSES-UdG, and includes specific modules on new technologies in the study plan.
