Paralysed man walks after new spinal surgery

A MAN paralysed from the waist down after his spinal cord was sliced in half in a stabbing attack is able to walk again after pioneering surgery.

The 38-year-old Bulgarian, who suffered his injury in 2010, is believed to be the first person in the world to recover from complete severing of the spinal nerves.

Darek Fidyka can now walk with a frame and has been able to resume an independent life, even to the extent of driving a car, and sensation has returned to his limbs.

Surgeons used nervesupporting cells from his nose to provide pathways along which the broken tissue was able to grow.

Despite success in the laboratory, it is the first time the procedure has been shown to work in a human patient.

A Polish team carried out the surgery after the technique was discovered by a team at University College London.