Can Nerve Transfers Restore Hand Function in Spinal Cord Injuries? | ISPRM 2026

As the ISPRM World Congress approaches, the global rehabilitation community is eager to explore the next frontier of medical innovation. In a recent interview, Margarida Freitas sat down with Dr. Mike Berger, a Canadian consultant physiatrist practicing in Victoria and Vancouver, and a Principal Investigator in neurorehabilitation at the ICORD Spinal Cord Research Institute.

Dr. Berger is slated to be a keynote speaker at the upcoming congress in Vancouver, where he will present a highly anticipated session titled “Nerve Transfers to Promote Function.” During his conversation with Freitas, he shared a compelling look into the future of motor neurorehabilitation and the life-altering surgeries restoring independence to patients with severe injuries.

The Next Decade’s Biggest Breakthrough

When asked to predict the most promising breakthrough in neurorehabilitation over the next five to ten years, Dr. Berger pointed to a clear consensus among global investigators.

“Electrical stimulation in some form or another is probably going to be the biggest breakthrough in neurorehabilitation, especially motor neurorehabilitation, over the next number of years,” he explained.

He highlighted the incredible preclinical and early clinical evidence showing how electrical stimulation of both the central and peripheral nervous systems can effectively modulate existing neural pathways—and even create new ones.

“Juicing Up” Nerve Transfers

Dr. Berger’s specific field of expertise—nerve transfer surgery—is also experiencing rapid advancements thanks to this technology. While nerve transfers have established applications in conditions like facial neuropathy and peripheral nerve tumors, the integration of electrical stimulation is opening new doors.

During his keynote, attendees can expect to hear about this exciting synergy. Dr. Berger even teased an upcoming presentation by his plastic surgery colleague, Dr. Sanger, which will detail the effects of using electrical stimulation both before and intra-operatively to “juice up” the nerve transfer and enhance its overall success.

Restoring Hand Function in Tetraplegia

While nerve transfers have broad applications, Dr. Berger’s primary clinical focus over the last several years has been on spinal cord injuries. He noted that the nerve transfers available for these specific injuries are highly targeted and well-defined.

In his practice, the primary goals of these transfers are to improve:

• Elbow extension
• Finger and thumb opening
• Hand closing (to facilitate grasp strength)

For individuals living with spinal cord injuries, particularly those with tetraplegia, this final point is often the most critical. As Dr. Berger emphasized, regaining hand function and grasp strength is the function these patients “wish more than anything else” to restore, as it is the key to regaining their daily independence.

Dr. Berger will dive deep into these three life-changing transfers during his lecture at the ISPRM World Congress in Vancouver this May.