In a remarkable breakthrough for spinal cord injury treatment, Claire Trivedi, a 48-year-old London resident who had been paralyzed from the waist down since 2017, has regained the ability to walk with assistance through an innovative spinal stimulation therapy.
The treatment, part of the Pathfinder 2 trial funded by Spinal Research charity, combines electrical stimulation of the spinal cord with intensive physical therapy. Trivedi, who lost mobility when abnormal blood vessels in her spinal cord burst, achieved what many thought impossible.
"I dreamed that one day I might take a few steps, and my dream came true," said Trivedi, a mother of two. "About 10 weeks before I finished the trial, I took my first steps just using a walking frame, without any leg supports. Everyone cried."
Trial Design and Implementation
The clinical trial enrolled 10 participants ranging in age from 21 to 68, each with varying levels of spinal cord injury. Participants underwent 120 sessions at Neurokinex rehabilitation facilities across the UK, with treatment spanning over a year.
The technology works by delivering electrical pulses to stimulate the "dormant" portion of the spine below the injury site. This stimulation, when combined with tailored physical therapy, aims to reactivate neural pathways and restore function.
Promising Outcomes and Clinical Impact
Study results, published in Neuromodulation: Technology At Neural Interface, revealed significant improvements across multiple functional domains. Participants experienced enhanced upper body strength, improved trunk control, and better balance. Some patients also showed gains in hand grip, dexterity, and lower body functions.
"It has the potential to be a game-changer, and we're hoping that it's a real breakthrough for people with spinal cord injury," stated Jane Symonds, co-investigator of the study. She explained that the stimulation helps nerve impulses better reach their target destinations, potentially enabling muscle activation for standing and walking.
Treatment Limitations and Future Implications
While the results are encouraging, researchers emphasize the therapy's limitations. "This therapy is not a silver bullet - it works on spared spinal tissue, so results will vary widely, and it does need to be paired with proper active rehabilitation over a consistent period of time," cautioned Tara Stewart, Spinal Research chair.
Jenny Suggitt, study co-investigator, noted that participants experienced improvements beyond mobility: "Participants who have completed the study are seeing changes in their motor function - so their standing ability, walking, core control and sensation changes, as well as changes to their autonomic function - so bladder, bowel and sexual function."
Notably, researchers observed that participants' improvements did not plateau during the study period, suggesting potential for additional gains with extended treatment. This finding opens new possibilities for long-term rehabilitation strategies in spinal cord injury patients.
