The VA Is Testing an Implant That Could Allow Paralyzed Veterans to Walk Again
25 Apr 2021
Military.com | By Patricia Kime
Five years ago, Marine Lance Cpl. Joshua Burch became the first paralyzed service member to walk to his own promotion ceremony, wearing an exoskeleton that helped him walk and stand to receive his corporal chevrons.
Now medically retired, Burch, 26, hopes again to be a trailblazer -- the first Department of Veterans Affairs patient to regain function in his lower body -- to include taking steps -- courtesy of an electrical implant in his spine that is designed to stimulate his body's sensorimotor networks.
"Even thinking about walking is crazy. I look at this as a stepping-stone to a future where others like me can walk. I look at my participation in this research as a way of helping people out," Burch said during an interview in March with Military.com.
https://www.military.com/daily-news/2021/04/25/va-testing-implant-could-allow-paralyzed-veterans-walk-again.html
