Restoration of Over-Ground Walking via Non-Invasive Neuromodulation Therapy: A Single-Case Study

• Published in: Journal of clinical medicine Vol. 12; no. 23; p. 7362
• Main Authors: Alam, Monzurul, Ling, Yan To, Rahman, Md Akhlasur, Wong, Arnold Yu Lok, Zhong, Hui, Edgerton, V Reggie, Zheng, Yong-Ping
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 28.11.2023
• Subjects: Bladder; Care and treatment; Chronic pain; Clinical medicine; Complications and side effects; Electrodes; Fitness equipment; Health aspects; Paralysis; Prevention; Quality of life; Risk factors; Spasticity; Spinal cord injuries; Walking; United States; United States > US; neuromodulation; chronic spinal cord injury; over-ground walking; sensorimotor rehabilitation; transcutaneous electrical stimulation
• ISSN: 2077-0383; 2077-0383
• DOI: 10.3390/jcm12237362

Spinal cord injuries (SCI) can result in sensory and motor dysfunctions, which were long considered permanent. Recent advancement in electrical neuromodulation has been proven to restore sensorimotor function in people with SCI. These stimulation protocols, however, were mostly invasive, expensive, and difficult to implement. In this study, transcutaneous electrical stimulation (tES) was used to restore over-ground walking of an individual with 21 years of chronic paralysis from a cervical SCI. After a total of 66 weeks of rehabilitation training with tES, which included standing, functional reaching, reclined sit-up, treadmill walking, and active biking, significant improvement in lower-limb volitional movements and overall light touch sensation were shown as measured by the International Standards for Neurological Classification of Spinal Cord Injury (ISNCSCI) score. By the end of the study, the participant could walk in a 4-m walking test with the aid of a walking frame and ankle-foot orthoses. The successful sensorimotor recovery of our study participant sheds light on the future of non-invasive neuromodulation treatment for SCI paralysis.