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[Apparelyzed]

Electronic Stimulation Shows Promise for Incomplete Quadriplegics

During the one-hour sessions, an occupational therapist electrically stimulated the nerves in Mr. Saini’s hands with a weak current as he attempted to grasp and manipulate playing cards, dominoes or other objects.

At first, Mr. Saini says he couldn’t pick anything up without the electrical stimulation, which caused the muscles of his hands to contract and close around the object at the right moment.

He had the therapy five times a week for two months and learned to grasp and release things on his own, without the stimulation. The muscles in his thumbs, fingers and arms grew stronger and he was able to shave, pull up his pants, pick up a full water bottle and other small acts of independence that made an enormous difference in his life.

All the volunteers have incomplete spinal cord injuries, which means they have some feeling or function below the area where their spines were injured. Mr. Saini, for example, can tell if someone touches his toes, but he can’t feel heat or cold. About 65 per cent of quadriplegics have an incomplete injury.

It is still unclear exactly how the therapy works, Dr. Popovic says, although animal studies suggest that it activates cells in the spinal cord.

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