Essentially they’re talking about using electrical stimulation to restore function in people with complete paralysis of the legs due to injury of the spinal cord in the lower back (lumbar region). In particular they’re focused on injury to the junction of the lumbar spine and sacrum. The result has been a restoration of function such that people who previously had no control over their lower body could (when lying on their side) make motions as though walking, and walk while suspended from a support rig.
More exciting is that after 43 weeks of this stimulation and comprehensive training, they were able to walk on a treadmill unassisted bearing their own weight! It sounds like balance issues and strength remain potentially problematic, but it’s still amazing. The last line of the introduction really sums it up:
To our knowledge, this is the first report of independent stepping enabled by task-specific training in the presence of EES by a human with complete loss of lower extremity sensorimotor function due to SCI.
More exciting is that after 43 weeks of this stimulation and comprehensive training, they were able to walk on a treadmill unassisted bearing their own weight! It sounds like balance issues and strength remain potentially problematic, but it’s still amazing. The last line of the introduction really sums it up:
To our knowledge, this is the first report of independent stepping enabled by task-specific training in the presence of EES by a human with complete loss of lower extremity sensorimotor function due to SCI.
SCI = Spinal Cord Injury