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Diagnosis Paralysis Long

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Right now, a quarter of a million Americans are living with paralysis; and every year 11,000 more, suffer spinal cord injuries. Advances in treatments used immediately and long term rehab are helping patients regain independence. My back got broken in the middle, and it's like a switch, and it turned off my legs. Peyton Brinker is straight forward about the accident robbed him of the use of his legs. And then I woke up, another car just hit us and we, just hit the tree. Peyton is a realist about his chances of ever walking again. I know that it's probably not going to happen. The first moments following a spinal cord injury are the most crucial. We talk about a golden hour of that critical time, where you have to put a therapy on board. Patients have the best chance if they are taken immediately to the closest Level 1 Trauma Center. Medicines, called corticosteroids, should be given right away to reduce swelling. And now researchers are hoping that cooling down the spinal cord can prevent paralysis in some patients. He still remembers me, man. Three years ago Manny Gomez was an officer in Miami's mounted patrol. The hoarse spooked as I was going on top, and I went straight down head first. And I couldn't move at all. I was frozen. Within hours, doctors ran icy cold saline through Manny's body, dropping his temperature to 92 degrees. It's an experimental treatment called therapeutic hypothermia. It protects those axons running up and down the spinal cord, which is extremely important in having the brain talk to your muscles and vice versa. The injury would have left Manny a quadriplegic. After months of therapy he now walks and plays with a grateful heart. They gave me something back and I have to be thankful. Once those crucial first hours pass, progress depends on quality rehab. Five years ago rugby player, Dwayne Morrow, broke his neck and was paralyzed from the chest down. With my consultation was a 99% chance never to walk again. I was excited that I had a 1% chance. Dwayne's positive attitude and hard work were helped by access to a technology called E-Stem, at the Shepherd Spinal Center in Atlanta. When someone has paralysis, whether it is complete or partial, then their toe may drag. Some people call it foot drop. Well this device provides electrical stimulation to stimulate the muscle to contract so that toes can pick up. E-Stem doesn't work for everyone, but it kept Dwayne out of a wheelchair. I'm walking with just one cane. This may be medicine's next big thing. Like our generation's moon mission. We are trying to go into territory that has not even been charted. Enter the world of neuroprosthetics, a technology that allows you to move objects with the power of your brain. It's really amazing. When you think that you're controlling a device just by thinking about it, it's just a revolutionary type of concept. Researchers at the University of Florida implanted electronic chips the width of a hair into the brains of rats. They trained them to move a prosthetic arm using just their thoughts. We are creating, through science and technology, a new way to interact with the world. For Peyton, that can't come too soon.

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