Spinal Cord Injuries: Back on Your Feet

Reported March 2006

BALTIMORE (Ivanhoe Broadcast News) -- Their injuries left them paralyzed, now, however, one doctor is giving new hope to patients suffering from spinal cord injuries.

Sometimes, all it takes is a fall, car accident, or even a dive into a pool to cause a sudden spinal cord injury, leaving paralyzed patients with an uncertain future. Now, with the help of John McDonald, M.D., a neurologist at the Kennedy Krieger Institute in Baltimore, the future is looking brighter for some patients.

Dr. McDonald is a neurologist on a mission to give paralyzed patients their best chance to walk again. "If you're diagnosed with spinal cord injury, you're pretty much written off. They tell you that it, it's over, you know, you're going to live your life in a wheelchair. We can change that," he says.

His innovative rehabilitation methods have already changed Ali Ashai's life. He was left paralyzed from the waist down after falling off a bridge. Ali says, "I remember waking up after the operation thinking I was going to be able to feel my legs and not being able to do that, and then I was a little worried."

Ali isn't worried anymore, using Dr. McDonald's activity-based therapy approach he is now walking. Part of the therapy uses electrical stimulation, in which special pads stuck to the skin send electrical pulses through still-intact nerve endings causing nerve cells to grow and creating new nerves. Coupled with bike riding to strengthen muscles, patients can see major improvements.

"A major effort that we're working on is using the concept of patterned activity in order to optimize someone's ability to self repair their own nervous system and recover function," Dr. McDonald tells Ivanhoe.

According to Dr. McDonald, patients can regain function years after an injury. Ali is proof; he's on his way to a full recovery, letting nothing stand in his way. "Who knows even maybe in a couple of years I'll run a marathon or something, you know? I'll do whatever I can," Ali says.

The electrical-stimulation bicycle is also designed for home use, so patients can optimize their workouts three or more times a week. Dr. McDonald also helped the late actor Christopher Reeve regain some sensation and movement.

Click here to Go Inside This Science or contact:

International Center for Spinal Cord Injury
Kennedy Krieger Institute
707 N. Broadway
Baltimore, MD 21205
800-873-3377

March Madness is in the air! If you're hoping for the big prize in your office pool, you have to be lucky!

Frustrated and stuck in a traffic tie-up? Your cell phone might be able to get you out of it

Would you want to know if Alzheimer's is in your future? A new twist to a common and inexpensive test may tell you

You go there for help ... But millions of Americans get sick in hospitals! This bandage may help stop hospital infections

Asthma and allergy triggers are commonly found at home. Here's what you can do to reduce the cause of your family's symptoms

No more lost medical records. Complete health records and medical tests can be found on your cell phone!

Meet one of the newest species identified on earth. It thrives in extreme conditions and needs a name

A new, life-saving therapy is helping some cancer patients win the war against this deadly disease

Cutting-edge technology most people use every day is making gadgets like cell phones and laptops get smaller and smaller

A special glove is the helping hand for some people who have a hard time hearing

Their injuries left them paralyzed, and this doctor is giving new hope to patients suffering from spinal cord injuries

The sun can impact the reception on your cell phone and TV. See which places will be left in the dark