Improving mobility in the arms and hands of stroke survivors may be possible through electrical stimulation of the spinal cord, research suggests.
Around 100,000 Britons suffer a stroke each year and the condition - which occurs when blood stops flowing to part of the brain - is one of the nation's leading causes of death, claiming around 34,000 lives annually.
An estimated 1.4 million stroke survivors are living in the UK, many of whom face long-term disabilities including muscle weakness, impaired movement and - in most cases - difficulty using their arms, hands or feet.
But a new study, published in the journal Nature Medicine, may provide fresh hope.
Using a technique known as cervical epidural spinal cord stimulation - which helps the brain communicate with weakened muscles - researchers at the University of Pittsburgh found significant improvements in arm strength and mobility among seven stroke survivors.
