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.
Nearly five thousand years ago, physicians in Egypt were using topically applied torpedo fish, which produce powerful electrical impulse similarly to the electric eel, to relieve pain. In 47 AD, the physician to the Roman emperor Claudius, Scribonium Largus, would apply the fish to painful regions of his patient's body. Patients with gout were advised to place a living black torpedo fish under their feet while standing on a wet, sandy 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 National Institutes of Health is one of the world's leading centers for medical research. It consists of 27 different institutes and centers, including institutes for research into cancer, heart and lung, child health, aging and genome research among others. The NIH is mainly located in Bethesda, 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.
Nearly five thousand years ago, physicians in Egypt were using topically applied torpedo fish, which produce powerful electrical impulse similarly to the electric eel, to relieve pain. In 47 AD, the physician to the Roman emperor Claudius, Scribonium Largus, would apply the fish to painful regions of his patient's body. Patients with gout were advised to place a living black torpedo fish under their feet while standing on a wet, sandy 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 National Institutes of Health is one of the world's leading centers for medical research. It consists of 27 different institutes and centers, including institutes for research into cancer, heart and lung, child health, aging and genome research among others. The NIH is mainly located in Bethesda, 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 stimulation doctors Bucks County he recommends that you visit his friends at St. Mary Medical Center.
No comments:
Post a Comment