Innovative new therapy offers new hope for paraplegics

Last Updated Apr 8, 2014 7:20 PM EDT

"When I think to move my leg, my toe or my ankles, when I'm turned on I can do it. It's really exciting," he told CBS News' chief medical correspondent Dr. Jon LaPook.

The National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering at the National Institutes of Health used spinal cord stimulation to help Shillcox and three other people with lower body paralysis temporarily regain muscle control in their legs, feet, toes, ankles and knees.

The four men who participated in the study each had electric stimulators implanted on their spines, and they were all able to regain some control of their muscles within a few days after undergoing the surgery. The neurostimulator used for the study is made by Medtronic, a medical technology company, and is currently is available as a maintenance therapy to individuals with chronic back pain.

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"It's a device that has 16 electrodes," Dr. Grace C.Y. Peng, program director of rehabilitation engineering for the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering at NIH, told CBS News.

"They implant these electrodes just below the sight the injury and stimulate the motor neurons in the spinal cord that would then lead to controlling the muscles in the leg. Their research is determining the optimal stimulation patterns for these 16 electrode arrays," said Peng, who oversaw the program.

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They followed up with each participant over time and found they achieved further muscle control within a few months, though it's unclear whether this was due to additional physical therapy at home or an overall improvement from the therapy itself.

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Innovative new therapy offers new hope for paraplegics