The VA Is Testing an Implant That Could Allow Paralyzed Veterans to Walk Again
Paralyzed Marine Lance Cpl. Joshua Burch uses an exoskeleton to attend his promotion to corporal at the Hunter Holmes McGuire VA Medical Center in 2016. (Photo courtesy of Joshua Burch)
25 Apr 2021
Five years ago, Marine Lance Cpl. Joshua Burch became the first paralyzed service member to walk to his own promotion ceremony, wearing an exoskeleton that helped him walk and stand to receive his corporal chevrons.
Now medically retired, Burch, 26, hopes again to be a trailblazer the first Department of Veterans Affairs patient to regain function in his lower body to include taking steps courtesy of an electrical implant in his spine that is designed to stimulate his body s sensorimotor networks.
UofL and Medtronic collaborate to develop epidural stimulation software for spinal cord injury
Researchers at the University of Louisville made news worldwide in 2018 when two people diagnosed with complete spinal cord injuries recovered the ability to walk thanks to experimental use of a therapy known as epidural stimulation. The news gave hope to people living with complete spinal cord injuries, a diagnosis that historically meant they were unlikely to regain function below their level of injury.
Despite these significant results, use of epidural stimulation outside a research lab setting to restore function for people with spinal cord injury thus far has been hampered by several limitations, including the use of a technology that was designed for patients with chronic, intractable pain - not those with spinal cord injury.
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IMAGE: Claudia Angeli, Ph.D., left, with UofL research participants Kelly Thomas and Jeff Marquis and trainer Kristin Benton view more
Credit: University of Louisville
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Researchers at the University of Louisville made news worldwide in 2018 when two people diagnosed with complete spinal cord injuries recovered the ability to walk thanks to experimental use of a therapy known as epidural stimulation. The news gave hope to people living with complete spinal cord injuries, a diagnosis that historically meant they were unlikely to regain function below their level of injury.
Despite these significant results, use of epidural stimulation outside a research lab setting to restore function for people with spinal cord injury thus far has been hampered by several limitations, including the use of a technology that was designed for patients with chronic, intractable pain - not those with spinal cord injury.