Man paralyzed in accident able to move his legs again after experimental surgery

On Monday, Ryan Straschnitzki surprised everyone when he started moving his legs, extending one so far that he almost kicked his therapist.

The 20-year-old from Alberta, Canada, was in a bus crash last year that left him paralyzed from the chest down. He learned about an experimental surgery that involves implanting an epidural stimulator in the spine, with the hope that it will restore some leg movement. He decided to give it a shot, and went to Thailand for the procedure.

Surgeons and therapists map out the nerves that should be stimulated, and the device sends out electrical currents, bypassing traditional pathways and reawakening those that are dormant. The surgery has only been performed on about 30 people, and Straschnitzki's mother, Michelle Straschnitzki, told CBC News that as soon as his legs moved, "He was as surprised as the rest of us. It just blows me away." Straschnitzki will stay in Thailand for another month for therapy, and is hoping to make Canada's Paralympics sledge hockey team. Catherine Garcia

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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.