Andrew, perhaps Tim Hopper, MBA can share what he knows on the topic. His teenage son broke his C6 and we had a robust Medical Devices Group discussion about it called, "He broke his neck." Here is the link, we had 118 comments, I hope some can apply for you: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/78665/78665-6176379987352961026

Tim Hopper, MBA Is his injury "complete" or "incomplete"? How long ago was his injury? Where is he now? In a spinal rehab center like Shepherds in Atlanta I hope! Per your ?, to be a candidate for stem cells the procedure must happen within about the first 6 weeks after injury...after that stem cells are a no go. EVERY spinal cord is different and the majority of "recovery" will happen in first 12 months after injury when the swelling from the spinal cord trauma begins to subside and the true damage to the cord is realized. Getting him moving as soon as possible has proven benefits PT, FES (functional electrical stimulation) will keep muscle atrophy from setting in, a standing frame or weigh bearing exercises will retain his bone mass, water PT is just all around good therapy as you can trigger the faint brain to cord to muscle twitches in a zero gravity environment to hopefully "retrain/rebuild" the connections. So sorry he is going through this SCI not only impacts the patient but the whole family!

Tim Hopper, MBA PS: if he is in Denver, get him to Craig Rehab ASAP! https://craighospital.org/programs/spinal-cord-injury-rehabilitation

Joe Moore Check out Joe Rogan's podcast with Neil Riordan and Mel Gibson. PM me if there are any questions I can assist on.

Arnold Caplan PhD Case Western Reserve University and Neil Riordan PhD.

Andrew Kyle Update - the spinal cord is incomplete. He has sat up and can swallow. The injury was less than 20 days. Has sensations - thigh, penile, squeeze pressure. Has some control of wrist - not lift but side-to-side. He is at Craig in Denver as suggested.
His family is of course living from day to day. They live in Pueblo.
Thank you for your kind help. The father is joining Linked in so he can add more details and connect with those who have the skill to help. Andrew

Fareed Iqbal Suggests he reaches out to my LinkedIn colleague Thomas Oxley.

Cecilia Favre Further to my previous comment
NEWS: 'Off the shelf' living artificial tissues could repair severe nerve injuries
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2018-02-shelf-artificial-tissues-severe-nerve.html
The bottom line of this article: Researchers use the artificial tissue as a bridge between two severed nerve ends (PNS). The live nerve still attached to the spinal cord will grow slowly along the dead nerve structure.

Cecilia Favre First, my thoughts and support during this difficult time for this family.
Stem cells would not work for such injury. I do not know the latest research on the subject, however some time ago we would look at limiting scaring of the spinal cord ( or CNS central nervous system), and help regrowth of the axons (or PNS, peripheral nervous system). I suggest you look for the leading research group on the subject. (I am not in the field any more and do not have any suggestions) - best wishes

There has been some success in the veterinary field with hyperbaric oxygen treatment for spinal injury. Not sure if the research backs this up, but might be worth investigating.

Jane Evans Check out the Ekso Bionic Suit with the recently introduced functional electrical stimulation module. I've been working on introducing this technology to gyms in Ireland to ensure that rehabilitation can be continued when the medics pull the plug. If you want to talk contact me through Accuscience Ireland.

Please reach out to the folks at the Cleveland FES center. They have been developing technology to help people with SCI for over thirty years now. Let me know if I can help getting in touch with them.

This company seems to be running promissing clinical trials on a new device: https://www.bioarctic.se/en/complete-spinal-cord-injury-2548/

John Grove Update on Johnny....He has some feelings & sensation in his anal and rectal areas. According to one of the retired medical directors of Craig this is a pretty good sign to have feelings in this area, especially only 40 days since the accident. In addition, Wednesday Feb. 21, last week , Johnny has regained some use of his Triceps. This was confirmed by his physical therapist, who was very surprised by this. He stated that most of the patients he has dealt get wrist usage before triceps return. He stated that this was the first time he has witnessed this and it pretty well "freaked him out". The next day, after his occupational therapy session, he announced to his mom and myself that he has some finger movement in both hands. He asked me (dad - John), to hold his wrist for support. He then (after straightening out his fingers) was able to move his curl his fingers. This was not just the natural retraction of the tendons pulling his fingers, he was controlling the closing of them.

John Grove First, let me thank everyone for their well wishes, thoughts, concerns & comments! Update on Johnny at Craig Hospital in Denver. As of last Wednesday, Feb. 21, Johnny has developed some Tricep activity in both arms. His physical therapist confirmed this. Then the next day, he stated that he now has some finger movement in both hands. This was confirmed by his occupational therapist. He also has sensitivity in his anal region along with sensitivity in his rectal area. According to a retired medical director at Craig, the later is huge, as it is usually one of the last areas to come around. This is only 6 weeks after the accident. Very positive things are happening for my wonderful boy with a huge heart. Thank you all.

I'm very sorry that your son and your family are having to endure such a frightening ordeal, John. A colleague of mine is a director on the Board of GTX Medical (https://www.gtxmedical.com/), a company that is "developing an implantable stimulation system and a robot-assisted training program to rehabilitate individuals with spinal cord injury". Not sure where they are in the development/clinical process but might be worth noting. Best wishes to your son for a speedy recovery!

Jason Sharkey Researchers at the University of Louisville are recruiting for epidural stimulation studies with SCI patients. It might be worth a shot contacting them. http://victoryoverparalysis.org/epidural-stimulation/

My thoughts also go out to the young man and his family. Maybe the International Spinal Cord Society http://www.iscos.org.uk could help direct you to research and they also work with healthcare consumers who are active in tracking the latest research.