From paralysis to movement: Spinal implant trials give hope to paraplegics

In a medical bio-engineering breakthrough, four men paralysed from the chest down regained the ability to voluntarily move their legs and feet after an electrical device was implanted in their spines.

Although the patients are not able to walk, the success of the trial experiments offers hope that a fundamentally new treatment can help many of the 6 million paralysed Americans, including the 1.3 million with spinal cord injuries. Even those whose cases are deemed so hopeless they are not offered further rehabilitation might benefit, scientists say.