A revolutionary step forward
Today, I came across a report in the local newspapers about an ex-jockey, Mr Sam Subian, who severed his spinal cord during a horse-racing accident five years ago, but can now walk again. This is something that I had never heard of back in the 1920s! The miracle is possible due to a spinal implant in combination with intensive rehabilitation, including advanced robotics, done by a team from NNI, Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH) and A*STAR.
The RESTORES programme is indeed revolutionary. To enable Mr Subian and two others who were part of the new clinical trial to walk again, the neurosurgeons implanted battery-powered electrodes onto the covering of the spinal cord to stimulate the nervous system. The implant possibly bridges the damaged part of the spinal cord and boosts signals from the brain to the muscle by tapping viable residual pathways.
A month after the surgery, the patients started intensive rehabilitation programmes, with stimulation to the electrodes individualised to each patient, to improve neuroplasticity. They were fitted with a robotic exoskeleton suit to simulate walking, increase the number of steps taken and strengthen their trunk and leg muscles. The rehabilitation team also used motor imagery to get patients to imagine a movement, despite not being able to actively move. This enabled them to move parts of their legs that they could not before.
The article noted that the clinical trial restored mobility faster compared to those in published studies from the United States and Switzerland. If only I could bring this procedure back to the past with me!