Rob Summers
Photo Credit: Christopher & Dana Reeves Foundation
The Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation has recently released details of a major breakthrough in spinal cord injury (SCI) research that has enabled Rob Summers, a man paralyzed below his chest in a hit-and-run car accident, to stand and take steps on his own!!
In 2009, Rob volunteered for a cutting-edge research project funded by the Reeve Foundation and the National Institutes of Health. The project combines intense locomotor training and epidural stimulation of Rob’s lower spinal cord, which mimics the signals his brain would normally send to initiate movement. Rob is now able to stand on his own and even bear his own weight for several minutes at a time while his spinal cord is being stimulated. With the aid of a harness, he is even able to make repeated stepping motions on a treadmill. Rob is also able to voluntarily move his own toes, ankles, knees, and hips.
The epidural stimulation breakthrough is the result of 30 years of focused scientific research. While the road ahead is still long, the progress made thus far is an extraordinary advancement!
For more information on Rob Summers and his progress, visit the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation website.