Most paraplegics will be reliant on a wheelchair as a mode of transportation. Activities of daily living (ADLs) can be quite challenging at first for those with a spinal cord injury (SCI). With the aid of physiotherapists and occupational therapists, individuals with an SCI can learn new skills and adapt previous ones to maximize independence, often living independently within the community. Regeneration of the spinal cord
Olfactory ensheathing cells (OEC) have been transplanted with success into the spinal cord of Polish man named Darek Fidyka, who was the survivor of a knife attack that left him paraplegic in 2010. In 2014, Fidyka underwent pioneering spinal surgery that used nerve grafts, from his ankle, to bridge the gap in his severed spinal cord and OECs to stimulate the spinal cord cells. The surgery was performed in Poland in collaboration with Prof. Geoff Raisman, chair of neural regeneration at University College Londons Institute of Neurology, and his research team. The olfactory cells were taken from the patients olfactory bulbs in his brain and then grown in the lab, these cells were then injected above and below the impaired spinal tissue. Fidyka regained sensory and motor function in his lower limbs, notably on the side of the transplanted OECs. Fidyka first noticed the success three months after the procedure, when his left thigh started gaining muscle mass. MRIs suggest that the gap in his spinal cord has been closed up.
He is believed to be the first person in the world to recover sensory function from a complete severing of the spinal nerves. See also
References
External links
Spinal Cord Injury at The Mayo Clinic
Types of Paralysis at Spinalcord.com