A new development in spinal cord injury treatment is offering new hope for those facing life-altering mobility challenges
Researchers at NeuroRestore, led by Grégoire Courtine and Jocelyne Bloch, have developed a technology that combines rehabilitation robotics with an implanted spinal cord neuroprosthesis.
Integrating spinal cord stimulation into rehabilitation.
This new approach uses rehabilitation by helping individuals regain control of their muscles during therapy, offering immediate mobility improvements and long-term recovery potential.
Spinal cord injuries often leave individuals with severe mobility impairments, and while rehabilitation robotics have made progress in assisting therapy, they have limitations.
Traditional robotic devices guide movement, but without active muscle engagement, they don’t adequately retrain the nervous system. This new technology aims to change that by directly integrating spinal cord stimulation into rehabilitation.
Robotics technology for spinal cord neuroprosthetics
The system developed by the NeuroRestore team works by delivering well-timed electrical pulses through a spinal cord neuroprosthesis, which stimulates muscles in coordination with robotic movements.
This synchronised approach mimics natural muscle activity, ensuring the body’s motor functions are activated harmoniously with robotic assistance. As a result, patients experience more natural and effective muscle engagement, even during therapy.
This breakthrough builds on previous robotic advancements from Professor Auke Ijspeert’s lab at EPFL, which is known for its robotics expertise.
By merging this robotic technology with spinal cord neuroprosthetics, researchers have created a system that could redefine spinal cord injury rehabilitation.
One of the main challenges of combining these therapies is ensuring that the spinal cord stimulation is precisely timed and tailored to the patient’s movements.
The neuroprosthesis uses wireless sensors to detect limb motion and adjusts stimulation automatically in real time, allowing for seamless integration with the robotic devices.
The system’s flexibility ensures that it can be adapted for various rehabilitation devices, such as exoskeletons, treadmills, and stationary bikes, making it easy for healthcare providers to incorporate into their existing treatment protocols.
Applications in real-world rehabilitation
A proof-of-concept study with five individuals who have spinal cord injuries showed the effectiveness of this combined approach.
The participants not only regained the ability to engage muscles during robotic-assisted therapy, but some also improved their voluntary movement even after the stimulation was turned off. These promising results show that the combination of robotics and spinal cord stimulation could have both immediate and lasting impacts on recovery.
In addition to testing the technology in clinical settings, the researchers also took the system to rehabilitation centers to ensure it could be easily integrated with the existing robotic devices.
The results were positive, with rehabilitation professionals expressing enthusiasm about the seamless integration of the new system into their existing protocols. This technology’s adaptability makes it easy to deploy across various rehabilitation environments, offering hope for patients worldwide.
Participants in the study could use the technology to walk with a rollator and cycle outdoors, showing its real-world applications.
This marks a significant step forward in providing individuals with spinal cord injuries with more dynamic and engaging rehabilitation options, which could lead to better recovery outcomes.
Future of spinal cord injury rehabilitation
Although further clinical trials will be needed to confirm the long-term benefits of this approach, early results suggest that combining neuroprosthetics with robotic rehabilitation systems could transform how spinal cord injuries are treated.
With this new technology, the future of mobility restoration after paralysis looks more promising than ever.
