Скачать или смотреть WRTV6 - Cutting-Edge Technology Helps Patients Walk Again

After a tragic accident left him paralyzed, a young Indianapolis man is reclaiming his life, overcoming that paralysis step by step with cutting-edge technology now available in central Indiana.

Chris Leeuw was paralyzed in an instant during a diving accident.

With years of rigorous rehab, Leeuw moved from a wheelchair, to a cane, to a plastic brace.

Leeuw still walked with a limp because of a condition known as drop foot, until his therapist fitted him with an electrical device called Bioness.

People who use the technology call it the bionic leg. There's a cuff, heel sensor and wireless remote, and together they give people with certain neurological conditions a chance to step back into life.

"It actually stimulates the nerve in the muscle so it's actually working with every step that you take," explained Holly Hons, a physical therapist with Community Health Network's Hook Rehabilitation Center.

"It really gives me the ability to work the muscles that my brain can't work," Leeuw said.

It's taken months for Leeuw to master the device, and he now walks more naturally with speed and balance.

The combination of the Bioness and Leeuw's strong personality is giving the 30-year-old new confidence.

"I couldn't walk without it," he said.

But with determination, Leeuw may one day be able to walk without it.

"They'll be able to keep their muscle mass or even some people can work out of using the Ness all together, because it helps build up their muscles so they can (walk) on their own," Hones said.

The Bioness l300 is used to help patients who've suffered a stroke, traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury and multiple sclerosis.