Improving mobility in the arms and hands of stroke survivors may be possible through electrical stimulation of the spinal cord, research suggests.<\/p>\n
Around 100,000 Britons suffer a stroke each year and the condition – which occurs when blood stops flowing to part of the brain – is one of the nation’s leading causes of death, claiming around 34,000 lives annually.<\/p>\n
An estimated 1.4 million stroke survivors are living in the UK, many of whom face long-term disabilities including muscle weakness, impaired movement and – in most cases – difficulty using their arms, hands or feet.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But a new study, published in the journal Nature Medicine, may provide fresh hope.<\/p>\n
Using a technique known as cervical epidural spinal cord stimulation – which helps the brain communicate with weakened muscles – researchers at the University of Pittsburgh found significant improvements in arm strength and mobility among seven stroke survivors.<\/p>\n
The findings raise the prospect of a new treatment for people struggling to use their upper limbs.<\/p>\n
Marco Capogrosso, assistant professor of neurological surgery at the University of Pittsburgh, and the study’s co-senior author, said the approach may ‘rapidly help people move their arms better, even years after a stroke’.<\/p>\n
He added: ‘The stimulation works mostly as an assistive technology – when it’s on, people can move better. By stimulating the spinal cord, we can immediately allow residual connections between the brain and the spinal cord to work more efficiently, enabling better movement.’<\/p>\n
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<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\nImproving arm and hand mobility for stroke survivors may be possible through electrical stimulation of the spinal cord, research suggests<\/p>\n<\/div>\n