A Parkinson’s patient can now walk 6km (3.7 miles) thanks to an implant targeting the spinal cord. The Guardian reports that the man — 62-year-old “Marc” from Bordeaux, France — developed severe mobility impairments from the degenerative disease. “I practically could not walk anymore without falling frequently, several times a day,” he said in a press release announcing the breakthrough. “In some situations, such as entering a lift, I’d trample on the spot, as though I was frozen there, you might say.” Wearing the spinal implant allows him to walk “almost normally” as the research team eyes a full clinical trial.
I can only speak to our experience, but the MD who put his deep brain stimulator handled his software (and hardware) updates. They were free. Dad was part of their trial (which explains the free part), but I can’t imagine the folk in the clinic what did his implant locking their patients into worse software just because they can’t afford their annual checkup.