¹Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA

Correspondence: Dr KT Ragnarsson, Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY 10029, USA. E-mail: kristjan.ragnarsson@mssm.edu

Received 10 April 2007; Revised 7 March 2007; Accepted 16 May 2007; Published online 11 September 2007.

Abstract

Repair of the injured spinal cord by regeneration therapy remains an elusive goal. In contrast, progress in medical care and rehabilitation has resulted in improved health and function of persons with spinal cord injury (SCI). In the absence of a cure, raising the level of achievable function in mobility and self-care will first and foremost depend on creative use of the rapidly advancing technology that has been so widely applied in our society. Building on achievements in microelectronics, microprocessing and neuroscience, rehabilitation medicine scientists have succeeded in developing functional electrical stimulation (FES) systems that enable certain individuals with SCI to use their paralyzed hands, arms, trunk, legs and diaphragm for functional purposes and gain a degree of control over bladder and bowel evacuation. This review presents an overview of the progress made, describes the current challenges and suggests ways to improve further FES systems and make these more widely available.