Bionic Implant to Repair Spinal Chord

The idea of putting a bionic implant into the spine is to restore mobility to people with paraplegia or spinal cord injury. Existing bionic implants use electrodes that connect to muscles in the leg. More than a dozen people have received early prototypes. But their ability to stand and walk has been limited. Its been described as robotic and tiring.

To date these systems involve a walking frame and you press a button to extend or flex your leg.

Nov 2008 - The University of Alberta's Dr Vivian Mushahwar, has been working for 15 years on bionic implants that use electrical signals to command "lifeless" limbs to stand and walk. Her work has been proven in animals and should start human trials in about 3 years.

By tapping into the spinal control system in the small of the back instead, the bionic implant can trigger a much more natural walking motion. The body's inbuilt command structure uses the legs "slow twitch" muscles. This can more than triple the amount of time a patient can stand and walk without getting tired.

It works by placing a web of electrodes finer than a human hair exactly in the "spinal control centre" in the small of the back. But attaching the stimulator to the spinal cord is an incredibly difficult process. The surgery requires extreme precision making it beyond the talents of all but the world's best surgeons. Each of these wires is attached separately by hand so current research is investigating a way to allow a surgeon to implant this in an easy way.

Its hoped that this new system will eliminate the need to push buttons on a walking frame. A walker may still be required for balance but as the technology improves it may be reduced to crutches and eventually nothing.