Medtronic Device Helps Paraplegic Stand

Bloomberg reports:

Rob Summers, a 25-year-old day trader paralyzed from the chest down five years ago, now stands on his own with the aid of a Medtronic Inc. (MDT) device originally designed for a different application.

The device, sold by Minneapolis-based Medtronic to control pain, delivers electrical stimulation to Summers’ lower spinal cord that helps him move his toes, ankles, knees and hips, and even take steps on a treadmill with the aid of a harness. The Los Angeles man’s case, described in the U.K. medical journal The Lancet, may spell hope for about 12,000 U.S. patients who incur spinal cord injuries yearly.

Posted by on May 19th, 2011 at 9:20 pm


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