The addition of weights to a leg during supported treadmill training after complete spinal cord injury may add further sensory input to the nervous system and help patient recovery. There is now evidence that the nervous system can communicate from one leg to the other without brain involvement.

A study funded by the National Institute of Health and recently published in the journal Spinal Cord by Dan Ferris and Susan Harkema, reported that for the first time in humans, they were able to show that moving one leg would lead to activation of the other leg’s muscles. Subjects used in the study had completely severed spinal cords which eliminated the ability of the brain to supply input activation to the opposite leg.

The authors feel that this is important information for therapist helping to rehabilitate spinal cord injury patients. They recommend maximizing sensory input by adding weights to the leg and simulating the normal walking pattern as close as possible during supported treadmill therapy.

For further information:  “Muscle activation during unilateral stepping occurs in the nonstepping limb of humans with clinically complete spinal cord injury,” D. P. Ferris, K. E. Gordon, J. A. Beres-Jones, and S. J. Harkema, Spinal Cord, vol. 42, Jan 2004.