Watch CBS News

New Technology Helps Stroke Patients Recovering From Paralysis

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- There is new hope for stroke patients in a new high-tech therapy.

Eight hundred thousand people have strokes every year in the United States. Many survivors suffer paralysis or weakness. Well, now researchers are working on an unusual new way to help them and others.

Patient David Stevenson says a robotic arm and video game helped him regain movement after a stroke earlier this year left his left side paralyzed.

"My arm, my leg i couldn't move at all. I had slurred speech and my face was drooping," Stevenson said.

David tested this new technology in a study at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine during his recovery.

"It's just like you're playing a video game, except it's actually helping you," he said.

A team of Artists, Neurologists, and Engineers created the interactive game to help patients move again.

Dr. John Krakauer of Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, said "It's a way to make them in a playful, exploratory way, help them explore movement in a way they otherwise wouldn't try."

Researchers say the games allow patients to make natural movements they don't typically do during physical and occupational therapy.

Dr. Omar Ahmad of Johns Hopkins School of Medicine said, "They're the right kind of movements that will allow the brain to rewire so they can move like they did before they had an injury."

The technology is now being tested with a larger group. David hopes it will help others recover.

"Most people would be happy where I'm at, but I still want to be completely 100 percent," he said.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.