Paraplegics can run again thanks to robot skeleton

"Exoskeleton": paraplegics can walk again
A man from the United States, who was paraplegic after an accident, can walk again. This was possible with the help of a kind of robot skeleton. This technique could potentially improve the quality of life and health of many paralyzed people in the future.

Man was paralyzed for years
Mark Pollock has been through a lot in his life. But now it seems literally going forward for him. As reported by the "Berliner Kurier" on his internet portal, the man born in Northern Ireland lost his eyesight at age 22. The athlete and adventurer, however, apparently did not allow himself to be deterred from his undertakings, and in 2008, accompanied by two friends, made the first blind man to the South Pole after weeks of wandering. In 2010, however, he accidentally crashed out of the second-floor window, broke his spine, and was paralyzed from the waist down.

Move on your own thanks to robot skeleton
But now a small sensation has succeeded. The now 39-year-old can stand on both legs again and move independently a few steps. Although he has to carry crutches and force his body into a robot skeleton, he does not have to sit in a wheelchair anymore. Pollock help electrodes, which are placed implanted on his dorsal skin instead of in the spinal cord. According to the information, trigger these impulses, which stimulate the cut off from the brain numb leg nerves to move.

First steps after only a few weeks
Pollock was helped by a medical team at the University of California (UCLA) led by Professor Reginald Edgerton. The scientists have developed a so-called "robotic exoskeleton" that is specially tailored to his physique, giving the patient the necessary stability and keeping him upright. After just a few weeks, the patient was able to bend his left knee and later his right knee on his own, lift his legs and finally take his first steps. "Experiencing how the electrodes work, how I got going, without losing stability, was exciting and highly emotional," Pollock said recently at a press conference. "Suddenly my circulation started again. During the movement, I had a heart rate of 138. I did not even have that in my wheelchair time. "

Method could improve the quality of life of paralyzed people in the future
Professor Edgerton said: "Circulatory and nervous system problems are common in wheelchair patients." In the future, the combination of stimulated muscle movement and the "exoskeleton" could improve the quality of life and health of many paralyzed people. Professor Edgerton says that Pollock can give courage to those who are "seriously injured but not completely paralyzed". The energy and willpower of the patient were known, among other things, through his trip to the South Pole. "With sufficient resources, we could do a lot to advance research and technology," says Edgerton.

Successful treatment with cell therapy
But this method is not the only one that can help some paralyzed people to walk again. For example, it was reported last year that a patient who had been paralyzed from the chest down for four years due to a knife attack was treated with nerve cells from the nose into the injured spine when treated in Poland with the support of British researchers. After this cell therapy, the patient was soon able to move again without a walker. However, critics pointed out that there was no scientific evidence that the transplanted cells were responsible for the patient's progress. (Ad)