How a Tongue Piercing Can Help Quadriplegic Patients

Body piercings, in particular tongue piercings have been around for quite some time. However, there is now a new technology which allows paralyzed wheelchair users to maneuver themselves by using a tongue piercing.

Researchers have reported that 11 people paralyzed from the neck down quickly learned to use the tongue device to pilot their wheelchairs through an obstacle course full of twists and turns, and to operate a computer, too, according to the Associated Press. The new technology, called Tongue Drive System, involves implanting a magnetic stud into patients' tongues, allowing them to use the muscle as a joystick for their wheelchairs. 

The breakthrough is reported in the journal Science Translational Medicine.

The team at the Georgia Institute of Technology discovered the technology because the tongue is so spectacularly supple.

"We are tapping in to the inherent capabilities of the tongue, it is such an amazing part of the body," Dr Maysam Ghovanloo told the BBC.

"It's really powerful because it's so intuitive," Jason DiSanto, who was among the first spinal cord-injured patients to get his tongue pierced for science and try out the system, said. "The first time I did it, people thought I was driving for, like, years."

The study found that all the volunteers in the study preferred the piercing to their regular device, but some individuals had dropped out of the tests, worrying that a piercing wasn't suitable for their profession, according to The Independent.