View clinical trials related to Spinal Cord Injuries.
Filter by:The loss of muscle contraction (paralysis) removes an important stimulus for maintenance of overall health for individuals with complete spinal cord injury (SCI). Increased protein catabolism (atrophy) limits important stresses to the skeletal system. Bone loss doubles the risk of fracture and contributes to increased mortality in Veterans with SCI. Metabolic syndrome and diabetes lead to heart disease in Veterans with SCI at higher rates than the general population. Exercise methods to sustain muscle tissue, bone density, and metabolic stability after SCI are lacking scientific justification. If left unchecked, the secondary complications of SCI can be health limiting or even life threatening to Veterans with paralysis. The importance of maintaining the health of the musculoskeletal system after SCI has never been greater as a cure for paralysis may become a reality. Contemporary rehabilitation interventions lack the ability to functionally load muscle tissue, quantify the dose of load, stress the cardiovascular system, monitor the overall stresses during daily exercise training, or offer portability to improve compliance with the exercise. The long-term goal of this project is to establish the optimal dose of muscle and bone stress during functional exercise in order to improve the health of Veterans with complete paralysis. The practical outcome of this research is to offer a form of activity that is feasible, portable, and grounded in sound scientific principles. The scientific goal is to understand whether the dose of force generated in paralyzed muscle via evoked contractions is critical to muscle atrophy/hypertrophy molecular pathways, physiologic performance, and insulin sensitivity. The investigators will administer various doses of muscle force by manipulating the frequency of electrical stimulation while keeping stimulation current (i.e. muscle fiber recruitment) constant. Interestingly, no previous study has examined the dose of muscle force necessary to trigger adaptations in protein synthesis/degradation pathways. The investigators wish to discover the most effective method to maintain the molecular and physiologic properties of paralyzed muscle. The investigators believe such a method will be in urgent demand as a co-intervention with pharmaceutical strategies in post-SCI rehabilitation.
The purpose of this pilot study is to investigate whether gait specific robotic supported bodyweight supported treadmill training and lower extremity strength training have similar beneficial effects on walking function and other outcomes.
Loss of hand function is one of the most devastating consequences of tetraplegia because of the severe impact on activities of daily living (ADL) and the resultant dependency on others. This multi-centre study in 78 participants will measure whether additional hand therapy provided via an electrical stimulator glove and specialised computer workstation improves hand function in people with tetraplegia.
Objective: To investigate the movement strategy of breathing based on three-compartment model measured by optoelectronic plethysmography (OEP) and electromyography (EMG ) among individuals with and without spinal cord injury in supine posture during deep inspiration. Design: cross sectional repeated-measure with age matched control group. Setting: Motion Analysis Laboratory Participants: Seven tetraplegic and five paraplegic subjects and twelve age matched healthy controls were recruited. Intervention: Not applicable.
To address the effect of tadalafil (Cialis) on the cardiovascular system of men with complete spinal cord injury at T-6 and above. The hypothesis is that tadalafil will cause significant hypotension in people with tetraplegia.
Although conventional risk factors for coronary heart disease (CHD) have been identified and routinely used to determine risk for CHD in the general population, a systematic approach to determine population-specific risk for CHD has not been performed prospectively in those with SCI. CHD is a leading cause of death in spinal cord injury, occurring at younger ages than in the able-bodied population. Conventional risk factors for CHD are high serum concentrations of low-density lipoprotein (LDL), low serum concentrations of high-density lipoprotein (HDL), diabetes mellitus (DM), positive smoking history, and positive family history of premature CHD. Coronary calcification (CAC) is a commonly occurring phenomenon that does not necessarily indicate significant obstructive disease. Studies have shown that a strong association exists between coronary calcification and coronary heart disease. The purpose of this study is to compare the CAC scores in persons with SCI with a historical control group of able-bodied persons from a national data base who will be matched for conventional risk factors for coronary artery disease (CAD) and to determine the relationship between CAC scores and conventional and emerging risk factors for CAD.
To investigate the feasibility, safety, efficacy and optimal dose of umbilical cord blood mononuclear cell transplant in the treatment of chronic spinal cord injuries.
This study theorized that a low dose of vaporized cannabis could alleviate nerve injury pain.
This study will look at dietary patterns in individuals with chronic spinal cord injuries and the relationship between these dietary patterns and cardiovascular disease risk factors. The study is a supplement to the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) study. The dietary history from CARDIA will be used. The investigators' primary hypothesis is the following: Greater whole-grain and dietary fiber intake will be favorably associated with adiposity (BMI and WC) and metabolic CVD risk factors (fasting glucose, fasting insulin, HOMA-IR, diabetes, hsCRP, TC, HDL-C, triglycerides, TC/HDL-C ratio, non-HDL-C, and systolic and diastolic blood-pressure) among a sample of individuals with SCI aged 38-50 who have been injured >1 year.
This study compares five different procedures to see how they affect pain and brain activity. The procedures include neurofeedback, self-hypnosis training, meditation, and two different levels of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS). Subjects will be compensated for their time.