Five children with complete paralysis due to spinal cord injuries were able to take their first steps while taking part in a clinical study at the University of Louisville.

One of those children is Malcolm McIntire, and we spoke with him and his mom about how the therapy sessions have improved their lives.

It turns out that the spinal cord is smarter than we ever thought.

We thought it was just a conduit or a cable that carried messages.

But it actually works a lot like your brain interprets them, receives information, and can help you move again.

So things about the size of a quarter.

These little electrodes we put on your back over your spinal column goes right to your spinal cord.

And there are these sensory nerves that go into the spinal cord.

Once you charge it, then we tried to do several things with the child.

One is increasing the sensory input to the spinal cord.

And that's by doing some stepping on a treadmill.

And the other is asking the child to think about walking when the stimulation is on or taking steps.

So they had to actually, for several minutes at a time, really get their cognitive effort with an intent to try and take those steps.

Now it turns out it worked.

After doing the therapy, he has a ton more trunk control, and he was actually able to hold himself up.

And then it just got better and better and better.

And he was able to find midline.

And he actually his scoliosis curve has actually started to reverse itself, which is unheard of with bodyweight support.

He can take a step as long as someone holding one of his legs into extension and the other one back, he can swing it through.

So it's like that swing phase of when you're walking.

I've come a very long way to the research.

Studies have really, really helped me with this.

I mean, I could not do a lot of this before.

This has really helped me get back to do what I like to do.

And then, and then he could kick a ball, which was really neat.

And that for a at the time, eight year old kid was the coolest part.

One time, yeah, we used to, they used to have my red watch.

We used to, count my steps.

And one time I got, like, over 100.

It was a really big moment for me.

And I also hit, a target spot on with the ball.

That was also a really big moment.

I've been the biggest one overall.

It was like.

Like, I can do this.

So from a scientific standpoint, we're changing their capacity and learning more about what's possible.

And so we tried some things then.

But we've written a grant recently and have that under review, which would give us an opportunity to work with 6 or 7 more children who have a complete injury and and very much target.

Can I white bear, can we turn all the leg muscles that help you hold up against gravity?

And then we try and put them together.

Right.

Because we'd have swing and we have standing and and maybe that would help.

We want him to be healthy and happy, independent and functional.

And everything we can do to help him get to that point is better, better and better.

And if he walks one day, amazing.

But it will not.

It will not change who he is.

This this stuff has actually changed who he is, you know, and what he's able to do.

And being able to do that.

He's able to do a sleepover at a friend's house, you know, and kind of live an 11 year old's life, which is pretty awesome.

Do want to go.

We hope for a lot of big moments for Malcolm.

During the study, children also had improved bladder function and experienced more sensations, which for some have lasted months and even years.

After the study.