Although the treatment of pain using electricity was practiced nearly millennia before now, the spinal cord stimulator was not introduced until some time in the 1970s. By the start of the 21st century, it was used to relieve pain in people with refractory angina, peripheral vascular disease and terminal cancer. Nearly 20 years later, scientists have found that spinal cord stimulation brings movement to paraplegics.
For people who have been living with paralysis, this is brilliant news. It may even become possible to restore function in people years after their original injury. So far, four patients have been enabled voluntary movement in their toes, ankles and knees with the aid of these clever devices. Effects are enhanced when combined with physical rehab.
In 27th century B. C. Egypt, Egyptian physicians were treating their pain patients by introducing them to torpedo fish, which have similar electrical properties to the common electric eel. Scribonium Largus, 47 AD physician to Emperor Claudius of Rome, was applying the fish to painful areas of his patient's body. Back then, people suffering from gout were advised to place living torpedo fish beneath their feet while standing on a sandy, wet beach.
Despite the successful application of electricity for the alleviation of pain for dozens of centuries, it was 1965 before scientists got their first glimmer of understanding as to how the treatment worked. That was the year when two scientists specializing in pain, Patrick Wall and David Melzack, proposed the gate control theory of pain.
Results of the study, which was an extension of a pilot study that began in 2009, held a pleasant surprise for the researchers. Two of the patients who had complete sensory and motor paralysis were able to restore voluntary mobility. The researchers had assumed that at least some of the sensory pathways had to be intact in order for the treatment to work.
The paralysis work was funded by both the National Institutes of Health and the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation. The Reeve Foundation was establish to provide patient advocacy and to fund research into spinal injuries. Christopher, famous for being Superman in a series of films, became quadriplegic as the result of a horse-riding accident and perished from a heart attack in 2004. Dana, his wife, died two years later from lung cancer.
The NIH is a consortium of 27 institutes and centers for research into cancer, aging, child health and alcoholism, among other conditions. It is located in Maryland.
For people who have been living with paralysis, this is brilliant news. It may even become possible to restore function in people years after their original injury. So far, four patients have been enabled voluntary movement in their toes, ankles and knees with the aid of these clever devices. Effects are enhanced when combined with physical rehab.
In 27th century B. C. Egypt, Egyptian physicians were treating their pain patients by introducing them to torpedo fish, which have similar electrical properties to the common electric eel. Scribonium Largus, 47 AD physician to Emperor Claudius of Rome, was applying the fish to painful areas of his patient's body. Back then, people suffering from gout were advised to place living torpedo fish beneath their feet while standing on a sandy, wet beach.
Despite the successful application of electricity for the alleviation of pain for dozens of centuries, it was 1965 before scientists got their first glimmer of understanding as to how the treatment worked. That was the year when two scientists specializing in pain, Patrick Wall and David Melzack, proposed the gate control theory of pain.
Results of the study, which was an extension of a pilot study that began in 2009, held a pleasant surprise for the researchers. Two of the patients who had complete sensory and motor paralysis were able to restore voluntary mobility. The researchers had assumed that at least some of the sensory pathways had to be intact in order for the treatment to work.
The paralysis work was funded by both the National Institutes of Health and the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation. The Reeve Foundation was establish to provide patient advocacy and to fund research into spinal injuries. Christopher, famous for being Superman in a series of films, became quadriplegic as the result of a horse-riding accident and perished from a heart attack in 2004. Dana, his wife, died two years later from lung cancer.
The NIH is a consortium of 27 institutes and centers for research into cancer, aging, child health and alcoholism, among other conditions. It is located in Maryland.
About the Author:
Neil P. Hines is passionate about providing intelligent, unbiased and highly relevant medical information for people dealing with a wide range of pain conditions and related orthopedic needs, including back pain, knee pain, joint replacements, sports medicine, lumbar fusion and more. If you are interested in learning more about spinal cord doctors Philadelphia he recommends that you visit his friends at St. Mary Medical Center.
