New technology at Jefferson Health a "game changer" for people who are paralyzed

Added: 2026-05-28

[00:00:00]A new technology is now allowing people who are paralyzed to use their hands and it's all part of a very crucial clinical trial.

[00:00:07]>> Yeah, health reporter Stephanie Stahl has more with this first person, the first person in Philadelphia to have the device.

[00:00:15]45-year-old Josh Jones was paralyzed in a diving accident 10 years ago. At the beginning, I could barely move anything.

[00:00:22]>> Now this patient at Jefferson Moss Rehab has some movement in his arms, but his hands aren't able to grip. That's changing now with an experimental technology that's allowing him to feed himself and write.

[00:00:36]>> Everything works off a phone.

[00:00:37]>> His phone is linked to a neural network, a series of electrodes and a power unit that are surgically implanted and attached to paralyzed muscles.

[00:00:46]>> You'll see the different implants. So, there's one hub here. There's another one here. Through different technology and movement patterns, we could stimulate paralyzed muscles in a way to restore function. MJ Mulcahy, an occupational therapist at Jefferson Health, says while there are some surgical risks with the technology that's part of a clinical trial, it can provide an important new option for people who are paralyzed. We're not getting people back to where they were before injury, but we're giving them functions that really impact the quality of their life as they live with their spinal cord injury. All right, so I'm going to go and pick up a soda.

[00:01:25]I go in and I select the palmaris.

[00:01:29]And now you see that my hands activated.

[00:01:31]>> Josh demonstrates how he's able to grab objects and then tighten the grip.

[00:01:36]>> So, I don't drop it. I'll grimace. One of the electrodes is attached to muscles in his neck that are activated by a grimace with his mouth that enables him to tighten or loosen the grip.

[00:01:46]>> Now when I'm done, I grimace twice and that releases the soda. What do you think about this technology? It's unbelievable. It just gives me so much more confidence and a much better outlook.

[00:02:00]>> Now for the first time after being paralyzed, he's feeling more independent.

[00:02:04]>> It's a game changer. It truly is.

[00:02:06]Advanced [snorts] technology providing basic movement. I'm Stephanie Stahl, CBS News, Philadelphia.