Epidural electrical stimulation of the spinal cord has been demonstrated to enable spinal cord injury (SCI) patients to walk and swim. In a recent study, researchers evaluated whether a newly developed non-invasive electrical stimulation device can improve the strength and function of arms and hands in 60 cervical SCI patients. The device externally applies electrical stimulation over the cervical spinal cord. During the study, all patients first underwent two months of in-clinic rehabilitation program and then received electrical stimulation therapy for two months.
The non-invasive electrical stimulation therapy significantly improved the strength and functional performance of arms and hands in 43 patients. The treatment also significantly improved the patients' fingertip pinch force, hand strength and prehension, upper extremity motor and sensory abilities, and quality of life. The…
