Japanese Researchers Develop New Paralysis Treatment
From: RehabManagement Magazine - January/February 2003 - page 10

Researchers at Hokkaido University in Sapporo, Japan, have developed a
technique that has allowed two men paralyzed on one side of their bodies to
walk again. 

According to a recent article in the British journal New Scientist, both men,
who had suffered debilitating strokes, were able to walk again after
receiving an implant that sends signals from the healthy half of the body to
the paralyzed side. The technique, invented by Wenwei Yu, MD, uses sensors
placed over muscle groups in the healthy leg to transmit signals to
electrodes implanted near the nerves on the paralyzed leg.  

This technique of using electrical impulses to stimulate movement, known as
functional electrical stimulation (FES), has been used more often on patients
with paraplegia, where both legs are paralyzed. However, according to New
Scientist, hemiplegia, where only one leg is paralyzed, is a more common
condition. 

Links:
http://www.abc.net.au/science/news/scitech/SciTechRepublish_666015.htm
http://www.advanceforpt.com/ntu/sept16_02ny2.html
http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s665811.htm
http://www.globaltechnoscan.com/5thSep-11thSep02/legs.htm
http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99992726
http://education.guardian.co.uk/higher/sciences/story/0%2C12243%2C782319%2C00.html
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0%2C3604%2C782071%2C00.html

