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Health News Results - 49

A new robotic hip exoskeleton could help stroke patients improve their walking stride, a new study shows.

More than 80% of stroke survivors develop problems walking, often because their step is shorter on one side than the other, researchers explained in background notes.

The hip exoskeleton helps people adapt their stride by forcing both legs to take similar strides, researchers re...

Fabrizio wasn't sure what to expect of his newly outfitted prosthetic hand, until he touched one of the researchers who'd given it to him.

“When one of the researchers placed the sensor on his own body, I could feel the warmth of another person with my phantom hand,” said Fabrizio, a 57-year-old man from Pistoia, Italy. “It was a very strong emotion for me, it was like reactivating ...

Elon Musk, co-founder of Neuralink, said this week that the company placed the first brain implant in a human over the weekend.

In a statement posted on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter that is now owned by Musk, the billionaire said the patient was “recovering well.” He added that...

A spinal cord injury can trigger muscle wasting in patients, causing them to drop more weight and muscle mass than can be explained solely by their paralysis, a new study in mice warns.

This muscle wasting is rapid and severe, and it appears to be linked to a hormone imbalance caused by the injury, researchers said.

Specifically, it depends on whether a person's adrenal glands lose ...

Many people with Lou Gehrig's disease, also called amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), first start to lose the ability to move their arms and legs.

That's not Pat Bennett. She can move just fine. She can still dress herself, and she can even use her fingers to type.

But ALS has robbed Bennett, 68, of her ability to speak. She can no longer use the muscles of her lips, tongue, laryn...

A severe spinal cord injury is traumatic enough, but new research now shows that trauma can trigger an immune deficiency that puts patients at risk for developing life-threatening infections.

A new study from a team of international researchers sheds light on spinal cord injury-induced immune deficiency syndrome, which was initially discovered in experimental models.

“Infections ...

Age blunts the immune system's ability to respond to spinal cord injuries, new animal research indicates.

But researchers working with mice also found that the membranes surrounding the spinal cord play a key role in the immune response to spinal cord injury, a discovery that might help people with these devastating injuries. They often leave patients with lifelong effects, includin...

A Dutch man with paralyzed legs can now stand and walk, thanks to a wireless brain-spine interface that responds to his thoughts by moving his legs.

Gert-Jan Oskam, 40, suffered a spinal cord injury 11 years ago from a bike accident in China that left him unable to walk.

Oskam now has a brain implant that picks up signals of movement that, in a healthy person, would travel down the ...

Dangerously low blood pressure is considered an “invisible” consequence of paralysis, adding to the woes of as many as 9 out of 10 people with spinal cord injuries.

Now, a new implant has been developed that treats the problem by delivering electrical stimulation to a select group of spinal neurons.

The device, called a neuroprosthetic baroflex, stimulates the lower part of the ...

It's a brutal reality that confronts many recovering stroke patients: After six months or so of rehab, any arm and hand movement not yet restored is unlikely to return.

But new cutting-edge research aims to use electrical stimulation to jumpstart stroke-interrupted communication betw...

A severely paralyzed person no longer needs to go through brain surgery to try and steer a motorized wheelchair with their mind, researchers report.

Through an electrode-studded cap placed on their head, several people with quadriplegia -- no function in all four limbs -- were able to produce brain waves that guided their wheelchair through a kind of hospital "obstacle course."

The ...

In an advance in treating spinal cord injuries, researchers have pinpointed nerve cells that are key to allowing people with paralysis to walk again.

The findings come, in part, from nine patients involved in an ongoing Swiss study that is seeking to restore movement to people with paralysis.

All nine rapidly regained the ability to stand and walk with the help of implants that...

While adults typically need steroid medication to treat Bell's palsy, most children can recover without treatment, a new study finds.

Bell's palsy temporarily causes weakness and paraly...

Singer Justin Bieber said Tuesday that he will take a break from touring while he takes care of his health.

Bieber has a condition known as Ramsay Hunt syndrome, which is rare type of viral infection. Caused by the chickenpox- and shingles-related

  • By Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
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  • September 7, 2022
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  • Poliovirus detected in New York City wastewater last week put public health officials on high alert, as it indicates the potentially paralyzing virus is circulating widely in the area.

    But infectious disease experts say there's no need for families of fully vaccinated children to panic.

    "The inactivated p...

    Actor Ashton Kutcher is opening up about dealing with a rare condition called vasculitis that for a time left him seriously disabled.

    In an episode of “Running Wild with Bear Grylls: The Challenge,” airing Aug. 14 on National Geographic channel, Kutcher, 44, reveals that “two years ago I had this rare, super rare, form of

  • By Ernie Mundell HealthDay Reporter
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  • August 9, 2022
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  • A drug in development as a cancer therapy may also help the body regenerate damaged nerves after spinal injuries, new research suggests.

    Scientists at the University of Birmingham in the United Kingdom report that they used cell and animal models to show that the drug, dubbed

  • By Ellie Quinlan Houghtaling HealthDay Reporter
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  • July 18, 2022
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  • A brighter future could be in store for people with a spinal cord injury if new animal research pans out in humans.

    Mice that were paralyzed due to severe spinal cord damage regained the ability to walk within four weeks of receiving an experimental injectable therapy, say researchers led by Samuel Stupp of Northwestern University in Chicago.

    The research team plans to seek U.S...

    A handful of "locked-in" amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients can now work a laptop computer using their brain waves, thanks to an implant lodged in a major vein inside their skull.

    The implant - a stent lined with 16 miniscule electrodes - is nestled in a vein located near the motor cortex of complete...

    Unable to move a single muscle, even to open your eyes. Completely locked into your own body, yet fully conscious and aware.

    Lou Gehrig's disease - amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) - is a nightmare in its advanced form, leaving patients ...

    In a finding that reinforces the safety of COVID vaccines, a new study shows that while the shots don't raise the risk of rare neurological problems, COVID-19 infection might.

    The researchers focused on four immune-related neurological disorders:

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  • March 17, 2022
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  • Adults with spinal cord injuries have a high risk of depression, anxiety and other mental health issues -- and chronic pain is a major factor, according to a new study.

    Researchers analyzed private insurance claims from more than 9,000 U.S. adults with a traumatic spinal cord injury and more than 1 million people without injuries.

    Their study found that mental health disorders ...

    A motorcycle crash left Michel Roccati with complete lower-body paralysis from a devastating spinal cord injury.

    That was in 2017.

    But now, the Italian native is walking again, courtesy of groundbreaking Swiss research that restores motor function within one day by means of carefully targeted electrical stimulation.

    "At the beginning, I was unable to move the muscles of the l...

    Spinal cord injuries in childhood are devastating no matter how they happen, but new research suggests that kids felled by gunshots are even worse off than those who suffer such an injury nonviolently.

    About 13% of spinal cord injuries in U.S. children are gun-related.

    Tight blood pressure control -- not too high and not too low -- during surgery for spinal cord injuries may improve patients' outcomes, a new study suggests.

    "Damage to neurons in spinal cord injuries leads to dysregulation of blood pressure, which in turn limits the supply of blood and oxygen to stressed spinal cord tissue, exacerbating spinal neuron death," said co-lead author Abel Torr...

    Severe spinal cord injuries are incurable today in humans, but a new injectable therapy that restored motion in laboratory mice could pave the way for healing paralyzed people.

    The therapy -- liquid nanofibers that gel around the damaged spinal cord like a soothing blanket -- produces chemical signals that promote healing and reduce scarring, researchers report.

    The treatment p...

    Survivors of spinal cord injuries who develop resilience are able to adapt and thrive despite the challenges, according to a researcher who himself is a resilient survivor.

    "For someone with a cord injury, your margin for surviving even small mistakes when it comes to your health is really thin," said James Krause, professor and associate dean for research in the Medical University of Sou...

    After a stroke, the best time to work on regaining hand and arm use is 60 to 90 days later, according to a new clinical trial.

    Starting intensive rehab at less than 30 days can be helpful, too, but waiting until six months can be too late for maximum benefit, said researchers from Georgetown University and MedStar National Rehabilitation Network.

    Nearly two-thirds of the 750,000 ind...

    Researchers have developed an implant that allowed a man with severe paralysis to "speak" again by translating his brain signals into text.

    The achievement is the latest step in "brain-computer interface" (BCI) research.

    Scientists have been studying BCI technology for years, with the aim of one day giving people with paralysis or limb amputations greater independence in their daily...

    The robot hand extends toward a small cube, guided by signals from electrodes implanted in the brain of partially paralyzed patient Nathan Copeland.

    In surprisingly smooth fashion, Copeland's mind directs the robot hand to pick up the cube and move it to another part of the table.

    The process works so well -- at speeds approaching those of average folks -- because for the first time...

    A microchip implanted in the brain has allowed a paralyzed man to communicate by text -- at speeds that approach the typical smartphone user.

    The achievement is the latest advance in "brain-computer interface" (BCI) systems.

    Scientists have been studying BCI technology for years, with the aim of one day giving people with paralysis or limb amputations greater independence in their ...

    Stroke survivor Ken Allsford focused intensely on how he wanted to bend his elbow.

    And then the robot exoskeleton attached to his left arm obeyed his unspoken command, moving his crippled limb.

    "It was a combination of exciting and trepidation, because sometimes nothing would happen," Allsford, 61, of Katy, Texas, recalled. "But when you actually see it move without actually making ...

    People paralyzed with spinal cord injuries can safely and effectively use an exoskeleton to assist them in walking, a new study finds.

    "Participants showed improvement regardless of level of injury, completeness or duration of injury," said Gail Forrest, director of the Tim and Caroline Reynolds Center for Spinal Stimulation at Kessler Foundation in East Hanover, N.J.

    The findings ...

    Could telehealth help paralyzed stroke victims recover their motor skills faster than they would working directly with a physical therapist?

    Yes, claims a new study that found patients who had participated in at least 12 weeks of at-home rehabilitation with live video consultations ("telerehabilitation") scored higher in testing of the recovery of their motor skills than those who had...

    Most people now know that COVID-19 can cause blood clots, potentially leading to paralysis, stroke, heart attack and death.

    While it's not clear precisely how SARS-CoV-2 causes clots, a new study suggests that the amount of a particular protein -- called factor V -- in a patient's blood may have something to do with it.

    In March, researchers at Massachusetts General Hospit...

    A new outbreak of a mysterious, potentially fatal polio-like illness could strike hundreds of American children within the next few months, U.S. health officials warned Tuesday.

    Acute flaccid myelitis (AFM) outbreaks have occurred every two years in the United States since 2014, peaking between August and November, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. More than 9 ...

    For Ron Panzok and many patients like him, the battle with COVID-19 didn't end when he left the hospital.

    From the ambulance ride to North Shore University Hospital on New York's Long Island to the day he finally woke from a medically induced coma five weeks later, Panzok doesn't remember a thing. He missed more than a month of his life.

    But emerging from the coma was only t...

    If you've ever wondered what your brain is doing while you sleep, a new study gives the first direct evidence that it's busy "replaying" our waking experiences.

    The finding comes from a research project called BrainGate, which is testing new technology for people who are paralyzed or have lost a limb. Participants have "micro-electrodes" implanted in their brains, to allow them to exe...

    A sense of touch has been restored to a young man who lost it after being left paralyzed from the elbows down following a swimming accident nearly a decade ago.

    How? By tapping into almost imperceptible neural signals that can remain even after spinal cord injury, and amplifying those signals to the point where a lost sense of touch can be regained.

    The process was achieved ...

    Each year, hundreds of thousands of Americans develop some form of facial paralysis from a variety of causes.

    The loss of facial control and expression that follows can bring sometimes devastating stigma, depression and anxiety, a new study shows.

    This seems especially true for people whose facial paralysis came later in life instead of from birth, researchers noted.

    ...

    In what doctors say is an extremely rare occurrence, a woman in her 70s went to her doctor to have impacted ear wax removed and wound up with permanent paralysis in her face.

    The case report was described by British physicians in the Dec. 19 online edition of JAMA Otolaryngology--Head & Neck Surgery.

    "A woman in her 70s presented to her general physician with imp...

    Last October, 15-year-old Alec Woodruff developed a strange-sounding cough. Less than a week later, he was fighting for his life in the hospital, partially paralyzed and with a tube in his throat attached to a ventilator because just breathing was a task he could no longer do on his own.

    Alec's mom, Terri Woodruff, described the first signs of trouble: "I knew something was wrong. Ale...

    If you're in the throes of a stroke, being stuck in an ambulance in big-city traffic is the last place you want to be -- unless you're riding in a specially equipped ambulance called a mobile stroke unit (MSU).

    A new study reports that suspected stroke patients in New York City who were taken to a nearby hospital via MSU began receiving critical, lifesaving treatment about 30 minutes ...

    A new antibody test appears to have honed in on the most likely cause of a mysterious polio-like disease that regularly sweeps through the United States.

    The new test detected antibodies for two types of enteroviruses in the spinal fluid of dozens of patients diagnosed with acute flaccid myelitis (AFM), a disease that causes potentially permanent and sometimes life-threatening paralys...

    There is still no clear cause for a mysterious paralytic condition that has been striking U.S. children over the past five years, government health officials report.

    Researchers at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suspect that a virus of some kind is the culprit. But the specific germ causing the outbreaks remains unknown, according to the report published online Oc...

    Unable to move either their arms or their legs, quadriplegics are almost completely paralyzed. But in a major breakthrough, a team of French researchers has given one patient the ability to move all four limbs.

    How? With the assistance of a whole-body exoskeleton controlled by a patient's brain waves.

    "For the first time, a quadriplegic patient was able to walk and control b...

    The "season" for a polio-like illness that mainly strikes children is about to begin, so public health officials sent out an early warning to doctors on Tuesday.

    The largest recorded outbreak of acute flaccid myelitis (AFM) occurred last year, with the illness debilitating 233 people in 41 states across the nation, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

    ...

    Thirteen paralyzed young adults have regained elbow and hand movement after undergoing complex surgery in Australia, surgeons report.

    The patients now brush their hair and teeth, feed themselves and put on makeup -- tasks that were impossible before the "nerve transfer" surgery, the doctors report in the July 4 issue of The Lancet medical journal.

    "For people with tet...

    Kale Hyder was an active teenager and basketball player when a mysterious polio-like illness struck.

    The 6-foot-2 youth from Davenport, Iowa, woke up with a stiff neck in June 2015 at age 15. Within weeks he was paralyzed from the chest down. He was diagnosed with transverse myelitis, and was told he would never regain function of his hands.

    But a nerve specialist in New Yo...