The impact of walking on spinal cord tissue regeneration in patients with paraplegia following spinal cord injury

Abstract

The impact of walking in Spinal Cord Injury can promote axonal growth through directed neuroplasticity. The impact of walking in corticospinal tracts, in combination with proprioception, could be the key to neuroregeneration. Furthermore, growth factors such as brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and insulin growth factor -1 (IGF-1) play a crucial role not only in the procedure of axonal growth but also in the remyelination.

Many posttraumatic treatment strategies have been evaluated until now, including pharmacological agents aimingto block the development of secondary apoptotic mechanisms of CNS. The same strategies are simultaneously able to promote the regeneration of neuroaxons. Nevertheless, there is insufficient knowledge concerning the hypothesis that gait training could be applied as a potential therapy for neuroprotection following SCI.

The objective of this review is to assess the impact of assisted walking in paraplegia by consolidating evidence regarding: (a) neuroplasticity (b) tissue regeneration.