Rob Summers, a 25-year-old day trader paralyzed from the chest down five years ago, now stands on his own with the aid of a Medtronic Inc. (MDT) device originally designed for a different application. The device, sold by Minneapolis-based Medtronic to control pain, delivers electrical stimulation to Summers’ lower spinal cord that helps him move his toes, ankles, knees and hips, and even take steps on a treadmill with the aid of a harness. The Los Angeles man’s case, described in the U.K. medical journal The Lancet, may spell hope for about 12,000 U.S. patients who incur spinal cord injuries yearly.
