Q&A: How electrical stimulation can improve rehabilitation after spinal cord injury

In recent years, low-level electrical stimulation has emerged as an effective rehabilitative tool for people with spinal cord injuries. But not all patients have benefited because researchers often exclude people from studies if they have involuntary muscle spasms, known as spasticity. 

In a new study in Science Translational Medicine, researchers in Europe say they have developed a new type of electrical stimulation therapy that addresses spasticity while delivering comparable rehabilitative results. While the pilot study’s sample size is small — only two participants — their quality of life improvements were significant.

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