Onward’s Non-Invasive Spinal Cord Electrical Stimulation Improves Arm and Hand Function in Patients with Incomplete Cervical Spinal Cord Injury
Onward’s non-invasive electric stimulation trial, known as UP-Lift, has garnered significant attention in the field of spinal cord injury research. Its detailed results were recently published in Nature Medicine (June 20th, 2024). Tetraplegic or quadriplegic patients often face severely impaired arm and hand functions due to disrupted communication between the brain and spinal cord at the cervical level. Consequently, any improvement in hand and arm functions, no matter how small, can significantly enhance their autonomy.
Study Details:
The UP-Lift clinical trial involved sixty individuals with cervical spinal cord injuries recruited from various rehabilitation centers across the world (USA, The Netherlands, UK and Zwitserland). The study aimed at evaluating the safety and efficacy of transcutaneous electrical stimulation using a device called ARC ex, designed by Onward. The latter device delivers electrical stimulation externally (through the skin), eliminating the need for any invasive intervention.
Picture: Nature Medicine
Significant improvements:
- Strength and Functional Enhancements: According to the Nature publication, an impressive 72% of participants experienced substantial improvements in both strength and functional performance.
- Specific Gains: Participants reported better fingertip pinch force, improved hand prehension, increased upper extremity motor and sensory abilities.
- Quality of life: Most patients reported an enhanced quality of life.
Critical considerations:
- Incomplete Spinal Cord Injury: All 60 participants had incomplete spinal cord injuries, falling into categories ASIA B, ASIA C, or ASIA D. These categories indicate varying levels of sensory or functional capacity below their lesions. Patients with complete tetraplegia (classified as ASIA A) would not achieve the same remarkable results.
- Chronic Stage Lesions: Encouragingly, all clinical study participants had chronic-stage lesions (all patients had acquired their spinal cord injury at least 12 months before the start of the trial). This suggests that the treatment, once available on the market, could benefit individuals paralyzed for years.
- Not a Cure, but Progress: While this therapy isn’t a cure, it represents significant progress. Many participants now have improved hand and arm function. Notably, some functional improvements below the lesion persist even after switching off the electric stimulator. This hints at neural plasticity—new pathways created or dormant nerves “awakened” by the electric current—that might endure beyond the study period.
In summary…
Onward’s ARC ex therapy demonstrates both safety and efficacy in improving hand and arm functions for people with incomplete cervical spinal cord injuries. The technology offers hope for enhancing the quality of life for those affected by incomplete tetraplegia or quadriplegia.