Pilot project uses physical therapy to treat spinal cord injury

Can people with partial spinal cord injuries regain movement, balance, and perhaps even the ability to walk several steps through intensive physical therapy?

That's the question Stacy Fritz hopes to answer through a new project funded by the S.C. Spinal Cord Injury Research Fund. Fritz, a clinical assistant professor in the University's Department of Exercise Science, plans to work with 16 clients during the next two years.

“Most people with incomplete spinal cord injuries have something spared—some ability to stand for a short time or to sit up and move from bed to chair,” Fritz said.

The sessions, held in the Arnold School of Public Health Research Center, put participants on a treadmill for hours, suspended in place by straps and simulating a walking motion to improve their sensations of gait and balance. The therapy also works on improving simple transition movements—from bed to chair, for example—that might make it easier for participants and their caregivers to perform such tasks after the therapy concludes.

“Our main goal is to get them upright. To be able to take a few steps is a huge improvement if you're not able to take any at all,” Fritz said.