Magnetic therapy may help people with spinal cord injuries. Doctors at Imperial College London administered magnetic stimulation to the brains of people with partial damage to their spinal cord. The therapy led to improved muscle and limb movement, and increased ability to feel sensations. Details of the technique - known as repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) - are published in the journal Spinal Cord. It works by using an electromagnet placed on the scalp to generate brief magnetic pulses, about the strength of an MRI scan. These pulses stimulate the part of the brain called the cerebral cortex. The technique was tested on four patients with what are known as incomplete spinal cord injuries. This is where the spinal cord has not been entirely severed, but the patient has still lost the ability to move or feel properly below the injury point.
