Rehab Beneficial for Partially Paralyzed
Sept. 26 -- News last week that Christopher Reeve could move his fingers and toes gave hope to thousands of patients with complete paralysis.
But nearly half of patients with spinal cord injury are partially paralyzed, and recent advances in rehabilitation are helping hundreds of these patients actually walk.
These less severe injuries are also known as "incomplete," meaning the patients have some type of sensation or motion below where their injury occurred. This differs from a "complete" injury, where there is no sensation in the paralyzed area at all.
"A great deal can be done with individuals who have incomplete injuries, in terms of improving their function," said Dr. John McDonald, director of the spinal cord injury program at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Mo and also one of Christopher Reeve's doctors. "I think it would be a rare case where something could not be done at all."
Some medical centers across the country even make a point of focusing on treating these patients.
"The kind of movement that you saw with Christopher Reeve, that would not be a goal for us," said Edelle Field-Fote, assistant professor in the division of physical therapy at the University of Miami School of Medicine. "We don't only want patients to be able to move their leg — we want them to be able to move their leg in a way that means that they can now walk."
Making Strides with Small Steps
Rehabilitative therapy has proved successful at improving function in many patients with partial paralysis. The type of therapy that is currently leading the pack is called body weight supported treadmill training. With this system the patient is placed in a harness that is suspended over a treadmill. A therapist then moves the patient's legs to help "reteach" them how to walk.
"This allows us to begin exercising people who do not have enough muscle function to support their weight," said Field-Fote. "In traditional therapy, if the person can't support their own weight, then they can't begin walking training."
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