A Glasgow hospital has published the promising results of a ground-breaking study into new treatments for spinal cord injuries. Led by Dr Mariel Purcell, a consultant in Spinal Injuries, the Up-LIFT study at the Queen Elizabeth National Spinal Injuries Unit has shown promising results. Dr Purcell said: "This treatment has been proven to be safe, and of some benefit to chronic patients.
"We saw a real improvement in quality of life, and when used alongside traditional therapies, there’s real potential for wider benefits, particularly in the acute phase of spinal cord injury." Published in the journal Nature Medicine, the study explored ARC-EX Therapy - a new treatment involving electrical stimulation that targets the spinal cord non-invasively and aids in functional recovery post-injury. The study, run by ONWARD Medical, involved teams globally.
The NHSGGC study focused on five patients who were in the chronic phase of their injury. They experienced a range of benefits, one significant one being an impact on a patient’s ability to play the guitar. Melanie Reid, a writer and journalist living with spinal cord injury for more than a decade, was one of the participants who benefitted.
She said: "For me, the study gave me a real boost. "My hands were much more useful, and it gave me much more confidence, particularly to use my left hand. “It’s a woman’s right to be able to put her hair up in a scrunchie, and the therapy allowed me to do that.
“The benefits were real �.