Paralyzed Veterans Respond to Spinal Cord Therapy News
Author: Paralyzed Veterans of America
Published: 2011/05/24 - Updated: 2026/02/23
Publication Type: Announcement
Category Topic: Therapies - Related Publications
Contents: Synopsis - Introduction - Main - Insights, Updates
Synopsis: This report covers the response from Paralyzed Veterans of America to the widely reported case of Rob Summers, a man paralyzed in a 2006 automobile accident who regained the ability to stand and achieve limited movement through electrical stimulation of his spinal cord, as detailed in a paper published in The Lancet. While acknowledging the research - funded by the National Institutes of Health and the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation - as an exciting development, the organization was careful to note that this therapy is not a cure for paralysis and that Summers continues to use a wheelchair outside of therapy sessions. The statement also highlights Paralyzed Veterans' own investment of more than $100 million in research initiatives, including work at Yale's Center for Neuroscience and Regeneration Research and the University of Pittsburgh's Human Engineering Research Laboratories, offering useful context for people with spinal cord injuries, disabled veterans, and their families who are following progress toward new treatments - Disabled World (DW).
- Topic Definition: Spinal Cord Injury Therapy Research
Spinal cord injury therapy research encompasses a broad range of scientific and clinical efforts aimed at restoring motor function, sensation, and autonomic control in individuals who have sustained damage to the spinal cord. These efforts include epidural electrical stimulation, regenerative medicine, stem cell therapies, and neurorehabilitation approaches, many of which remain in experimental stages and are typically studied in controlled laboratory settings before advancing to broader clinical use. While significant progress has been made in understanding how the spinal cord's neural networks can be reactivated or retrained, a full cure for paralysis has not yet been achieved, and most current therapies focus on improving quality of life, increasing mobility, and managing secondary health complications for the estimated 1.3 million Americans living with spinal cord injuries.
Introduction
The news of a possible therapy breakthrough that could in the future help some people with spinal cord injury is being described as an "exciting development" by Paralyzed Veterans of America.
"I think everyone who has read or seen the stories are very excited by what seems like a novel therapy to help some people with spinal cord injury be more ambulatory, at least in the laboratory setting. However, this therapy is not a cure for paralysis," said Homer S. Townsend, Jr., national executive director of Paralyzed Veterans.
"Being able to cure paralysis is a complicated puzzle that we are years away from fully solving. However, the good news is that we live in very exciting times where there are several very promising research initiatives taking place as we speak, notably at Yale and the University of Pittsburgh. These hold out the promise of finding cures for paralysis in our lifetimes."
Main Content
Possible Paralysis Therapy Breakthrough an Exciting Development
The news reports center on Rob Summers who was paralyzed in an automobile accident in 2006. Thanks to electrical stimulation of his spinal cord, Summers can now stand and has some limited movement.
However, the improvements are limited to when the stimulator is turned on in a therapy session. Summer continues to use a wheelchair most of the time.
His case is the subject of a paper in The Lancet. The research was funded by the National Institutes of Health and the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation.
Paralyzed Veterans' Research and Education foundations and its chapters have invested more than $100 million to support initiatives to find new treatments, therapies and a cure for paralysis. This investment includes the ground breaking Center for Neuroscience and Regeneration Research at Yale and the Human Engineering Research Laboratories at the University of Pittsburgh.
Paralyzed Veterans of America
Sixty-four years ago Paralyzed Veterans of America was founded by a band of spinal cord injured service members who returned home from World War II to a grateful nation but also to a world with few solutions to the challenges they faced. These veterans from the "Greatest Generation" made a decision not just to live, but to live with dignity as contributors to society.
They created an organization dedicated to veterans service, medical research and civil rights for people with disabilities.
And for more than six decades, Paralyzed Veterans of America and its 34 chapters have been working to create an America where all veterans and people with disabilities, and their families, have everything they need to thrive.
Insights, Analysis, and Developments
Editorial Note: The measured tone of Paralyzed Veterans of America's response to this research is worth noting, because it reflects a reality that people living with spinal cord injuries know all too well - promising headlines do not always translate into accessible treatments. While Rob Summers' ability to stand through epidural stimulation was a genuine scientific milestone, the organization rightly pointed out that a cure for paralysis remains a complicated puzzle with no simple solution on the immediate horizon. What gives this statement weight is the credibility behind it: Paralyzed Veterans has invested over $100 million in spinal cord injury research and has been advocating for disabled veterans and people with paralysis since 1946, making their cautious optimism both informed and honest - and a reminder that real progress in this field is built over decades, not overnight - Disabled World (DW).Attribution/Source(s): This quality-reviewed publication was selected for publishing by the editors of Disabled World (DW) due to its relevance to the disability community. Originally authored by Paralyzed Veterans of America and published on 2011/05/24, this content may have been edited for style, clarity, or brevity.