A POOLE woman will be fitted with the world's first "bionic" device to produce co-ordinated hand and arm movement on May 13.

Fran Read, 46, left partially paralysed down her left side, will undergo the operation at Southampton General Hospital which will allow her to play netball once again.

If successful the hairdresser will be able to extend her elbow and wrist and open her hand properly for the first time since suffering a stroke nine years ago followed by a second one in 2002.

The system is designed to provide electrical stimulation to control and re-educate weak or paralysed muscles, so patients who have suffered damage to the central nervous system after a stroke can regain movement.

Dr Jane Burridge, senior lecturer in Neuro-rehabilitation, said: "Following a stroke, between 30 per cent and almost 66 per cent of patients have problems regaining upper limb function.

"Many therapeutic approaches to recovery are available, though controversy exists about their effectiveness.

"Until now, electronic stimulation devices have not been well accepted, mainly because with surface systems people have difficulty putting the electrodes in the correct place to achieve a useful movement, and implanted systems have involved major surgery.

"This study aims to address both these issues. Because the system is implanted, electrodes do not need to be placed on the skin, and because individual muscles are activated, a more functional, natural movement is possible."

The "microstimulators" are only 1.7 centimetres long and 2.4 millimetres wide.

First published: May 13