New Nerve Surgery is Helping Quadriplegics Regain Their Independence

Life is not always simple and certainly not after experiencing a life-threatening accident.

Many people have been left in situations that no longer affords them the use of some of their limbs due to damage to their nerves and vertebrae.

But recent surgical trials conducted in Melbourne, Australia, are offering hope to those who thought it had been lost.

The surgeries involve tendon and nerve transfers.

Tendon transfers have been used for many years to restore function to paralyzed upper limbs through the strategic transplantation of working muscles, the addition of nerve transfers effectively re-routes a functioning nerve and implants it into the paralyzed muscle.

A study led by Dr. Natasha van Zyl performed 59 nerve transfers on 16 patients, with each participant receiving either a single or multiple nerve transfer in one or both upper limbs, along with post-surgical physical therapy.

The result was that 13 people who completed the study reported improved functioning of their elbow and hand usage, allowing them to perform common tasks such as holding a glass, picking up items, and even push their own wheelchairs.