Daily Archives: October 8, 2015
Surgeons restore hand, arm movement to quadriplegic patients
A pioneering surgical technique has restored some hand and arm movement to patients immobilized by spinal cord injuries in the neck, reports a new study at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.
Like railroad switchmen, the focus is on rerouting passageways; however, instead of trains on a track, the surgeons redirect peripheral nerves in a quadriplegic’s arms and hands by connecting healthy nerves to the injured nerves. Essentially, the new nerve network reintroduces conversation between the brain and the muscles that allows patients, once again, to accomplish tasks that foster independence, such as feeding themselves or writing with a pen.
“Advocating with Your Mind and Body” – Josh Basile
Josh delivered the Keynote Address at the 2015 Working 2 Walk Symposium. He suffered a spinal cord injury in 2004 and since that time has been an engaged advocate, providing resources for the community through his websites for Determined2Heal and SPINALpedia, and continuing to educate himself about spinal cord injury research and therapies.
This year SPINALpedia was one of the sponsors of W2W. Josh Basile, a quadriplegic and spinal cord injury research advocate is a lawyer from Bethesda. His speech “Advocating with Your Body and Mind” was on the importance of keeping our bodies healthy so they’re ready for possible therapies.
