Wise Young
09-27-2001, 10:09 AM
Paraplegic Walking Made Practical with FNS & Orthoses
Principal Investigators:
E. Byron Marsolais, M.D., Ph.D.
Target population: Persons with T4-T11 level spinal cord injury
Abstract:
Accessibility and mobility remain a problem for many paraplegic individuals despite great advances such as passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Impaired mobility is not just an accessibility problem. It may also result in secondary complications such as weakened bones and joint contractures due to lack of weight bearing or limited joint movement, respectively. In addition, atrophic muscles fail to provide protection to the skin and bones, and pressure sores are common. Functional neural stimulation (FNS) is a technique that can address both lack of accessibility and secondary health complications.
This project extends the development of our "hybrid" system-- an 8 to 16 channel implanted muscle stimulator with a trunk-hip-knee-ankle-foot orthosis with programmable joint locks. The purpose is to provide more immediate mobility to paraplegic individuals and to study functional mobility requirements using the implantable devices currently available through our research program. This project couples the FNS, mechanics, control systems, and spinal surgical expertise of Case Western Reserve University with the orthotics expertise of New York University and Stanford University. Features that will be studied include programmable braking of brace joints and activation of the muscles necessary for stair climbing, including the hip flexors.
Project Sponsor:
National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke,National Institutes of Health
For more information contact:
Gordie Polando, M.S.
Motion Study Laboratory 151A (W)
Veterans Affairs Medical Center
10701 East Blvd.
Cleveland, Ohio 44106-1702
(216) 421-3099 (216) 231-8886 FAX
E-mail: polando@sparcy.bme.cwru.edu
[This message was edited by Wise Young on September 27, 2001 at 01:20 PM.]
Principal Investigators:
E. Byron Marsolais, M.D., Ph.D.
Target population: Persons with T4-T11 level spinal cord injury
Abstract:
Accessibility and mobility remain a problem for many paraplegic individuals despite great advances such as passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Impaired mobility is not just an accessibility problem. It may also result in secondary complications such as weakened bones and joint contractures due to lack of weight bearing or limited joint movement, respectively. In addition, atrophic muscles fail to provide protection to the skin and bones, and pressure sores are common. Functional neural stimulation (FNS) is a technique that can address both lack of accessibility and secondary health complications.
This project extends the development of our "hybrid" system-- an 8 to 16 channel implanted muscle stimulator with a trunk-hip-knee-ankle-foot orthosis with programmable joint locks. The purpose is to provide more immediate mobility to paraplegic individuals and to study functional mobility requirements using the implantable devices currently available through our research program. This project couples the FNS, mechanics, control systems, and spinal surgical expertise of Case Western Reserve University with the orthotics expertise of New York University and Stanford University. Features that will be studied include programmable braking of brace joints and activation of the muscles necessary for stair climbing, including the hip flexors.
Project Sponsor:
National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke,National Institutes of Health
For more information contact:
Gordie Polando, M.S.
Motion Study Laboratory 151A (W)
Veterans Affairs Medical Center
10701 East Blvd.
Cleveland, Ohio 44106-1702
(216) 421-3099 (216) 231-8886 FAX
E-mail: polando@sparcy.bme.cwru.edu
[This message was edited by Wise Young on September 27, 2001 at 01:20 PM.]