Mike Utley's Story

STEPPING TOWARD A CURE

NEW TREATMENTS GIVE HOPE FOR SPINAL RECOVERY

by Michael Lasalandra Boston Herald

When former Detroit Lions player Mike Utley took a few tentative steps last week, it raised the hopes of the estimated 250,000 Americans who, like him, have suffered paralyzing spinal cord injuries.

Researchers say they are getting closer to finding a cure for these devastating injuries, suffered by an estimated 10,000 Americans each year.

Work is moving ahead on two fronts: developing new ways of rehabilitating those who suffer such injuries, which helped Utley take his first steps, and research into finding ways to regenerate the spinal cord itself.

"There is tremendous hope now," said Naomi Kleitman of the University of Miami and a researcher at the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis.

The Miami Project, one of the places where Utley received treatment and rehab, was started in 1985 with the help of former Patriots and Dolphins linebacker Nick Buoniconti. His son, Mark, was left paralyzed in a college football accident that year.

Utley, a lineman for the Lions, suffered two crushed vertebrae in a game in 1991. Since then, he has vowed to someday walk off the Silverdome turf in Pontiac, Mich., from the exact spot where he was injured. His halting steps on President's Day marked his first public steps toward that goal.

His progress is the result of new ways to rehabilitate such injuries, as well as his body's attempt to repair itself, Kleitman said.

"The rehab work is becoming more sophisticated," she said. "It's not just strengthening muscles, but strengthening the spinal cord itself."

Utley's injury is described as an incomplete severing of the spinal cord. "Not all the nerve connections have been destroyed," Kleitman said. "Some messages are getting through. Mike has been extremely dedicated to not only the search for neurological recovery but also to rehabilitation to maximize the use of all the nerves and muscles that are still working. Mike has never stopped striving for all the functional return he can get."

But other patients, like Travis Roy, won't respond to even the most aggressive rehabilitation. Roy, the former Boston University hockey player who was paralyzed during a game in 1995, suffered a complete severing of the spinal cord.

Yet he draws strength from Utley's progress, adding he was "amazed" by those first few steps. "I can't imagine how hard he has worked," he said.

About two years ago, Utley began to feel some sensations in his legs. In addition to using the newest physical rehab methods, he began working with biofeedback at Miami's Jackson Memorial Hospital, trying to identify the connection between his brain and those few active nerves in his legs.

One new rehab technique now being used suspends patients in a harness on a track that allows them to "walk" without having to bear their full weight.

"It lets them walk around the room," Kleitman said. "We carry their weight and support their bodies. They are able to exercise without having to carry so much of their weight. They can build up weak muscles. They don't have to worry about falling."

In the quest to actually repair damaged spinal cords, animal studies have shown for years that it is possible. The idea is to fix spinal cord injuries by building a bridge of regenerated tissue across or around the damaged cord.

Even those who have suffered a nearly complete severing of the spinal cord may be helped by the regeneration technique.

Animals treated with the technique have not been able to regain their ability to walk exactly the way they once had, but "there have been stepping motions," Kleitman said. "I believe its going to happen. That's what we're working on."

The technique involves transplanting nerves from the legs into the spinal cord to serve as a bridge across the severed cord.

Genetic engineering and stem cell technology are also being investigated in connection with the regeneration effort.

Roy said he is confident scientists will one day come up with a successful treatment. "It's very, very hopeful," he said. "It's not if it can be done, but when it will be done. It's just a matter of time and money."

Appeared in the Boston Herald 02-23-99

Mike and his beautiful wife Dani

Please visit: http://www.mikeutley.org/

I saw Mike's entire story one night while watching the Discovery Health channel. It blew me away. I know that we are all capable of great and amazing things, but to see his mind take control over his paralyzed body was nothing short of spectacular. Continued success to the Utley's!

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