Injured rats strapped to tiny "wheelchairs" that restrict their movements recovered less limb function and coordination than those left to fend for themselves. This might mean that people with a spinal cord injury would recover better if they were encouraged to use their limbs sooner after injury and relied less on wheelchairs.rn"Our data suggests that wheelchair restriction definitely impairs functional recovery in rats, and logically it would seem to apply also to humans," says David Magnuson of the Kentucky Spinal Cord Injury Research Center, University of Louisville.rnThere seems to be an optimal time period following spinal cord injury during which the brain is better able to relearn at least some of the functions that are lost. Missing this "window of opportunity" is thought to reducernthe amount of movement an injured person can recover, but no one is sure exactly which components are necessary for successful rehabilitation or when that window occurs, says Magnuson. Some studies suggest putting body weight onto the legs is best, while others stress moving the feet, for example.
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