Locomotor training is helping Emmalie, who was unable to walk after suffering a spinal cord injury, take steps, sit up on her own and improve her range of motion.
Locomotor training is helping Emmalie, who was unable to walk after suffering a spinal cord injury, take steps, sit up on her own and improve her range of motion.

Locomotor training is helping Emmalie, who was unable to walk after suffering a spinal cord injury, take steps, sit up on her own and improve her range of motion. Andrea Behrman, PhD, professor in the UofL Department of Neurosurgery, researches locomotor training in children at UofL.

“It turns out the spinal cord is really really smart. And it may be as smart as the brain,” Behrman said. “The brain gets information, listens to it, reads it, responds, integrates it and generates an outcome. When (the researchers) found that out, they said ‘I wonder if anybody can use this information in rehabilitating people with spinal cord injuries?’ And the answer is yes.” 

Watch more about UofL’s locomotor training, and Emmalie’s story: 

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Mark Hebert
Following a 28-year career as a radio and television reporter, Mark Hebert joined the University of Louisville as the Director of Media Relations in 2009, serving as the main spokesperson. In 2015, Mark was named Director of Programming and Production. He’s now producing and hosting a radio show about “all things UofL”, overseeing the university’s video and TV productions and promoting UofL’s research operation. Mark is best known for his 22 years as the political and investigative reporter for WHAS-TV in Louisville where he won numerous awards for breaking stories, exposing corruption and objectively covering Kentucky politics. In 2014, Mark was inducted into the Kentucky Journalism Hall of Fame.