Spinal Cord Injury Video: Jazz's Story

Watch as Jazz undergoes therapy for a spinal cord injury.

For More Information: Find a Sharp-affiliated physical therapy doctor or learn more about Sharp Rehabilitation's spinal cord injury program.

Transcript

Male: Should I lean forward or just stay.…

Female: Yeah, we’re gonna.…

Male: … [investing] in a new area of research and treatment is that of partial weight bearing treadmill training. And with this we take an individual with paralysis and virtually force them to walk at a near normal gait velocity. 

[2005]

Female: How’s it feel, Jazz?

Jazz: Pretty intense. Good bit of a workout. But, uh, something I need, something I’m gonna keep striving to get my stride back again.

Male: And when we do this we are able to retrain all the spinal cord reflexes that have been lying dormant, sometimes for months, and sometimes for years. The key in all this therapy is to walk at a normal velocity. When the spinal cord relearns how to walk, I think gait pattern improves immensely. This is extremely useful in areas such as stroke and brain injury.

[2006]

Jazz: OK. Uh. Yeah, from the chest down I couldn’t move anything. You had to literally move my feet for me, remember? And now I can move on! Progress.

Female: Yep.

Jazz: Alex! How you doing, man? Ah, it’s only a matter of time now. Slowly but surely. Yep. Oh my God. How you been? Wow, you look great! Look how tall I am.

Female: I know!

Jazz: Mmm.

Female: We could almost date?

Jazz: That’s what I’m saying. At least do a tango, right? Oh, this feels good, too. I do feel good. Well, Lisa, you’ve been there from the very beginning and 13 months ago you know I was basically Jell-O from the chest down. You know I couldn’t move anything, couldn’t wiggle my toes. You’ve helped me to achieve what I can achieve now. I’m very grateful to all you guys for that. OK, this is like one of my fantasies. Da, da … look! No hands! No way I could’ve done this a few months ago. I’d have been like flat on my face by now. 

Sharp Rehab, baby! I’m telling you. [Laughing]