Spinal Injury Related Paralysis Cure At Hand Now

One would think in this day and age of high technology and advances in medical science spinal cord injuries resulting in paralysis of affected body areas would be unheard of. Yet, we still have many suffering from paraplegic and quadriplegic paralysis as a result of spinal injury. 

Depending on what area of the spinal cord injured and the extent of the damage is what determines the severity of a paralysis. The reason for the loss of feeling and movement as well as the percentage of the body affected is because the intricate highway of nerves has been severed at certain points, preventing signals from the brain from reaching their intended destination. This occurs when the nerves have been severed and continues for the lifetime of the patient due to scar tissue forming a barrier at the injury site which blocks any brain impulses from reaching their intended areas. 

Currently, science enables us to manufacture computer chips that are as small as a white blood cell as well as produce fibres made from silica or plastic the size of a human hair for fiber optic transmission of information using a light medium. These technological achievements along with remarkable advancements in laser technology should have made it possible to reconnect severed nerves in living tissue, making paralysis a thing of the past. 

The procedure itself, could be done by microscopic surgery where the scar tissue is removed using a laser. This would also provide the cleanest and most precise cut, allowing for a clear insertion of microscopic fibres. Once the fibres are connected to both ends of the nerve opening, the highway from brain to the affected area for a clear signal, the scar tissue which would form, would simply create a barrier around the implanted fibres, thereby actually cementing them in place. 

Such a procedure could be as easily done on patients who have been paralyzed for decades, as well as those recently injured. The surgery could be performed with a local anesthetic. We currently have the technology to make this happen. All that is needed is to combine medical technology with computer, laser, and fibre optic technologies for such a procedure to become a reality. This would also open endless possibilities in the area of neurosurgery.