The Importance of Spinal Cord Injury Treatments

 Spinal cord injuries are difficult to process, but to most of us they are something we mull over for a few minutes and then move on from. However, for some, such as the people who suffer from spinal cord injuries and their loved ones, they are life altering. For people like Dr. Perez and Dr. Jo, it is a motivation. Spinal cord injuries are difficult to talk about, it is difficult to tell someone they may not walk again, but thanks to people who devote their lives to finding ways to help people like Terry Hannigan Vereline, a paralyzed army veteran who finished the NYC marathon with the use of a robotic exoskeleton, more and more people are beginning to hope for a brighter future, a future that isn’t defined by their injuries.

 

In their study, “Corticospinal-motor neuronal plasticity promotes exercise-mediated recovery in humans with spinal cord injury”, Perez and Jo wanted to test whether pairing paired corticospinal-motor stimulation (PCMS) with exercise would be able to further promote the recovery seen with exercise by using PCMS to enhance transmission in the spine. 38 patients with varying chronic (at least 1 year or longer) spinal cord injuries were split into 3 groups and were assigned 10 sessions of either PCMS, PCMS + exercise, or sham-PCMS + exercise. The exercise groups completed a 45-minute exercise training immediately after the PCMS or sham-PCMS, which was made up of fine and gross grasping exercises for upper limbs, and overground walking, treadmill walking, and stair climbing for lower limbs. Sessions ran for 2-3 weeks, and the PCMS + exercise and sham-PCMS + exercise groups were re-examined after a 6-month period. Results showed that, though, all participants showed a decrease in time that it took to perform functional tasks (such as grasping and walking) during the post-test, only the PCMS + exercise group continued to show this decrease in time to perform functional tasks at the 6-month checkup.

 

In the news article, “65-year-old paralyzed vet finishes NYC marathon in robot suit”, army veteran, Terry Hannigan Vereline, uses a robotic exoskeleton to complete a 26.2-mile marathon, becoming the first paralyzed individual to complete a marathon. Vereline was left paralyzed from the chest down in 2011 after being exposed to chemicals while in the military. Though, she was given another chance, things were still difficult and finishing that marathon was hard work. It took intensive training just to learn how to stand up and balance with her new exoskeleton. The American Military News shared Vereline’s encouraging story and hopes that her new accomplishment will serve as an inspiration to others that are in a similar situation as her. Though, Perez and Jo didn’t work on exoskeletons, their work along with Vereline’s story show the importance of non-invasive options for spinal cord injury patients. They give people hope that they may one day be able to do something they once believed they would never get to do again, such as complete a 26.2-mile marathon.

 

Citations:

 

Jo, H.J. and Perez, M.A. (2020). Corticospinal-motor neuronal plasticity promotes exercise-mediated recovery in humans with spinal cord injury. Brain, 143(5), 1368-1382. https://doi.org/10.1093/brain/awaa052.

 

Perisic, K. (2019, November 15). 65-year-old paralyzed vet finishes NYC marathon in robot suit. American Military News. https://americanmilitarynews.com/2019/11/paralyzed-vet-finishes-new-york-marathon-in-exoskeleton/