Christopher Reeve’s favorite word was ‘Forward’. This is because he was so optimistic about the future and how new discoveries would impact the lives of individuals with paralysis. He was keenly interested in all treatments for paralysis, not only spinal cord injury but from other medical health care issues and trauma. He did not want people with paralysis or researchers to remain stagnant but to move Forward.
Forward movement can have different meanings for different individuals. Some want to hop right on board with research, others have a wait-and-see approach, and others are just fine with how things are. Wherever you fit in the scheme of paralysis research is the right place for you. Being comfortable where you are in life is an accomplishment. However, knowing what is going on in the world of paralysis research will help you define your position.
At this moment in history, we are having a boom in the results of research initiated by scientists with the influence of Christopher Reeve encouraging and advancing the issues. One of the biggest ongoing accomplishments is the adaption of functional electrical stimulation (FES). Electrical stimulation is used in pain control, wound healing, and arthritis among many other conditions. More powerful types of functional electrical stimulation create functional movement in the body.
Some of the first uses of FES have been and continue to be for exercise of non-functioning body parts such as FES cycling in the legs and in the arms. Although the benefits of this therapy have been demonstrated, the cost has made equipment difficult to obtain. Implantable FES devices have been created and continue to be studied.