Let's all say it together: "He's not walking independently..."
He has increased standing endurance, trace supraspinal (voluntary) activation of toe extensors, some improved sphincter control, and a little better thermoregulation. All this after 26 months of intensive locomotor rehabilitation. Let's put this in some context:
1) He was incomplete (ASIA B) to begin with. All of us physiatrists have seen motor incomplete para's regain some function below the level of their injury years after being injured...no news here. Rarely is it of any practical or functional significance.
2) It's a N=1 study.
3) "He's not walking independently."
I only emphasize the above because, as we are all aware, SCI-patients are among the most vulnerable members of are community and are at high risk for being victimized for medical fraud. Those of us who have taken care of SCI patients longitudinally all have stories about them being fleeced for some times hundreds of thousands of dollars for bogus stem cell therapy, bogus rehab, bogus neuro-prostheses.
I am excited by the possibilities that this "proof of concept" study raises. Those of us who practice neuromodulation know that its effects extend beyond the dorsal columns.
But, please counsel patients appropriately and embed these results in what is already well-established in the SCI medical literature: SCI experts agree that the ultimate functional outcome for any given SCI is determined within hours of sustaining that injury. Intensive medical rehabilitation ensures that SCI patients obtain the highest level of function *possible* given the extent of their injury. The only interventions shown to improve quality of life and decrease mortality and morbidity in SCI-injured patients are medical rehabilitaiton and longitudinal care by a provider knowledgable in neurological rehabilitaiton.