Spinal Cord Injuries
Mass General Paralysis Center
Spinal Cord Injuries
Department of Neurosurgery
55 Fruit Street
Wang 745
Boston,
MA
02114
Phone: 844-930-1001
Email: sprogers@mgh.harvard.edu
About This Treatment
An injury to the spinal cord can impact a patient's day-to-day function and strength and can result in loss of feeling and/or paralysis. While peripheral nerves can regenerate after an injury, cells in the spinal cord do not, meaning a surgical procedure is the only way to restore function.
Below is a table that shows the rehabilitation potential for various levels of spinal injury.
Level of Injury | Rehabilitation Potential |
C1-C3 | Using phrenic nerve pacer or ventilator to assist with breathing. |
C3-C4 | Using nerve transfer to provide basic arm/elbow function. |
C5-C6 | Ability to grab objects and provide function to triceps muscles. |
C7-C8 | Improved ability to grab objects and perform finer finger movements. |
T1 | Natural/basic hand movement. |
T2-T9 | Using nerve transfer to provide sensation to lower extremities. Potential of using spinal cord stimulation to improve lower extremity function.* |
T10-T12 | Limited hip movement and increased sensation in legs. |
L1-L2 | If patient has some hip movement, a nerve transfer can be used to provide hip extension. |
L3-L4 | If a patient has some hip flexion and the ability to extend their knee, nerve transfers can be used to improve walking ability. |
L5-S1 | Using a nerve or tendon transfer to improve ankle stability. |
All patients with some movement in their lower extremities may be considered as candidates for epidural stimulation to improve movement or reduce spasms.
The Mass General Paralysis Center is a multidisciplinary center featuring physicians and surgeons from a variety of service lines including Neurosurgery, Neurology, Imaging, Orthopaedics, Plastic Surgery and more. Our doctors work together to determine a treatment option that can address each patient’s unique situation. The Paralysis Center opened in 2018 and is led by Justin Brown, MD.
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Conditions Treated at the Paralysis Center
As part of a world-renowned academic medical center, the Mass General Paralysis Center offers the most innovative technology and surgical approaches to patients suffering from nerve conditions worldwide.