A treatment for people diagnosed with complete paralysis has become the new ray of hope. It is the first-ever nerve surgery which assisted in restoring movement of paralyzed patients elbows and hands. Those patients can now eat, do make-up, and perform all the activities by themselves. As per scientists, damages to the spinal cord stop messages receiving from the brain for controlling the rest of the body. Eventually, the injury results in paralysis. Patients included in the trial, published in the Lancet medical journal, had quadriplegia which is a type of paralysis which affects all four limbs. A team of Australian surgeons has achieved a milestone in the sector.
After the surgery, working nerves were able to rejuvenate the formerly paralyzed muscle. Even more, it resulted in the movement of the arm, like in-out, open-close their hands. Natasha van Zyl, the leading surgeon of the trial, has offered people their lives back. Besides, it is the largest program of its type, and scientists call it major progress in bringing back functionality of hand and arm. The team has made around 59 nerve transfers in sixteen people with an average age of 27.
Natasha van Zyl, a leading surgeon of the trial, used nerve transplants in restoring various spinal injuries. After getting results, the team decided to work on those 16 patients. They took nerves form shoulder and implanted into paralyzed muscles in the arm. Eventually, the surgeons bypassed the damage and joined back up to the spinal cord. Some of the patients had nerve transforms and some had tendon transplants. As per Natasha, transfer of nerves leads to more natural and accurate movement while tendon transfers assist to recover power and strength. She says the nerve transfer process provides an amazing new alternative. For paralysis patients, it is a probability of regaining arm and hand movement. It will enable individuals to perform routine tasks, and offer them the potential to live a normal life.
