Stimulator Bypasses Spine Injury, Helps Patients Move Hands From: Medical Design Technology - 12/13/2016 Doctors at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center have implanted a spinal stimulator that is showing early promise in returning hand strength and movement to a California man who broke his neck in a dirt-biking accident five years ago. Brian Gomez, 28, became one of the world's first patients to undergo surgery for the experimental device in June 2016. UCLA scientists positioned the 32-electrode stimulator below the site of Gomez's spinal-cord injury, near the C-5 vertebrae in the middle of his neck. That's the area most commonly associated with quadriplegia, or loss of function and feeling in all four limbs. While other devices have shown promise recently in treating paralysis, these approaches involved animals or relied on robotic arms. This approach is unique because the device is implanted in the spine instead of the brain, and is designed to boost patients' abilities to move their own hands. In addition to the stimulator, doctors implant a small battery pack and processing unit under the skin of the patient's lower back. Small enough to fit in the palm of your hand, the implant is paired with a remote control that patients and doctors use to regulate the frequency and intensity of the stimulation. Read the entire article at: https://www.mdtmag.com/news/2016/12/stimulator-bypasses-spine-injury-helps-patients-move-hands