Effects of spinal cord electrical stimulation in patients with vertebrospinal pathology

Until now, no scientific neurophysiologic methods of diagnostics and treatment of vertebrospinal pathologies were developed. Previous study showed that electrical stimulation of lumbar segments of the spinal cord in animals with complete spinal cord transection induced a well-coordinated weight-bearing locomotion. The present comparative study of motor activity triggered by electrical epidural stimulation of one or two segments of the spinal cord in spinal patients showed that stimulation of lumbar (L2-L4) or sacral (S2) segments facilitated generation of motor patterns of muscle activity. Combination of electrical stimulation with locomotor training resulted in the appearance of stepping patterns characteristic of normal walking and tonic activity of the muscles needed for body balance maintenance.