BrainQ Technologies awards funding to Drs. Androwis and Kirshblum for pilot study of BQ therapy at Kessler Foundation for restoring arm and hand function in individuals with traumatic spinal cord injury
Category: E Stim
Almost 18,000 Americans experience traumatic spinal cord injuries every year. Many of these people are unable to use their hands and arms and can’t do everyday tasks such as eating, grooming or drinking water without help.
Using physical therapy combined with a noninvasive method of stimulating nerve cells in the spinal cord, University of Washington researchers helped six Seattle area participants regain some hand and arm mobility. (excerpt)
A study from the International Center for Spinal Cord Injury, published ahead-of-print, has found that long-term lower extremity functional electrical stimulation cycling, as part of a rehabilitation regimen, is associated with substantial improvements in individuals with chronic spinal cord injury. Improvements include neurological and functional gains, as well as enhanced physical health demonstrated by decreased fat, increased muscle mass and improved lipid profile. Prior to this study’s publication on 4 March 2013 in the Journal of Spinal Cord Medicine, the benefits of activity-based restorative therapy programmes, such as functional electrical stimulation cycling, were largely anecdotal. (excerpt)
Electrical spinal stimulation combined with activity-based rehabilitation (ABR) can improve motor and autonomic function in individuals suffering from varying degrees of paralysis. Spinal stimulation studies have included invasive implanted devices and non-invasive transcutaneous systems using different combinations of stimulation current, waveform, amplitude, duration and spinal levels targeted. Invasive and non-invasive systems have been demonstrated to permit individuals with chronic spinal cord injury (SCI), previously considered to have complete injuries on the International Standards for the Neurological Classification of Spinal Cord Injuries (ISNCSCI) scale (Classification A), to regain some degree of voluntary and autonomic function during periods of stimulation. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effects of a novel non-invasive transcutaneous electrical spinal cord stimulation system (tSCS) combined with activity-based rehabilitation in patients who have paralysis of their legs and/or arms. We will examine participants for any changes in sensory, motor or autonomic function. We will use a transcutaneous spinal cord stimulator that has been designed to deliver safe and tolerable bursts of high frequency pulsed current that minimise the capacitance efforts of the skin surface and maximise conductance of a second waveform using low frequency current to target neural structures. We aim to investigate this form of neuromodulation with a small group of individuals with chronic spinal cord injury. Our goal is to observe and describe any short term or lasting changes in function that can safely and comfortably be derived from this combination of spinal stimulation and activity-based rehabilitation. If this therapy can cause lasting improvements in sensory, motor, respiratory or autonomic function, then this may lead to a greater degree of functional independence for these individuals.
An international research team, co-led by researchers at the University of British Columbia and Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute, has received a $48 million grant (US$36.5M) for research that aims to improve long-term outcomes for patients with spinal cord injury (SCI). (excerpt)
This trial aims to see if putting eletrical stimulation on the neck can help improve hand and arm function in those with high level injuries.
This trial aims to see how electrical stimulation, delivered through the skin (transcutaneous), effects spasticity in those with spinal cord injury to see if stimulation is a possible alternative to anti-spasticity medication.
On December 7, 2014, Joe Beatty, then 60 years old, was body-surfing on Kaanapali Beach in Hawaii, a popular place with tourists on the west side of Maui island and known for its calm, crystal-blue ocean waters. Long considered a family-friendly beach, Kaanapali is widely thought of as an ideal spot for both children and adults to swim; however, on that day for Beatty, this normally safe environment turned unusually dangerous. (excerpt)