Review : Walking After Spinal Cord Injury: Control and Recovery

Abstract

Spinal cord injury is associated with multiple motor problems leading to alterations of walking behavior reflected by a reduced walking speed and changes in the kinematic and electromyographic patterns. This review presents recent developments and concepts emerging from animal and human studies aimed at enhancing recovery of walking following spinal cord injury. Locomotor training, pharmacological interven tions, and their combination have been identified as important approaches in modifying the recovery process following spinal cord injury in both animals and humans. The nervous system still presents great plasticity even several years after spinal cord injury. NEUROSCIENTIST 4:14-24, 1998