View clinical trials related to Spinal Cord Injuries.
Filter by:The primary aim of the current study was to investigate the effects of SiFES (superimposed functional electrical stimulation) on sitting balance in patients with complete Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) compared to exercise alone. Additionally, the study aims to investigate improvements in respiratory functions and changes in abdominal muscle thickness measured by ultrasonography (USG) following SiFES treatment. The fundamental questions that investigators want to answer are as follows: - [question 1]: "Does abdominal SiFES therapy improve sitting balance in patients with complete SCI?" - [question 2]: "Does abdominal SiFES therapy improve respiratory functions in patients with complete SCI?"
While physical exercise remains the foundation for any rehabilitation therapy, the team seeks to improve the benefits of exercise by combining it with the concept of "Fire Together, Wire Together" - when brain stimulation is synchronized with spinal cord stimulation, nerve circuits in the spinal cord strengthen - a phenomenon termed "Spinal Cord Associative Plasticity", or SCAP. This project will build on the team's promising preliminary findings. When one pulse of brain stimulation is synchronized with one pulse of cervical spinal stimulation, hand muscle responses are larger than with brain stimulation alone or unsynchronized stimulation. However, the team does not know the best ways to apply SCAP repetitively, especially in conjunction with exercise, to increase and extend improvements in clinical function. Do ideal intervention parameters vary across individuals, or do they need to be customized? The team will take a systematic approach with people who have chronic cervical SCI to determine each person's best combination of SCAP with task-oriented hand exercise. Participants will undergo roughly 50 intervention, verification, and follow-up sessions over 6 to 10 months each. The team will measure clinical and physiological responses of hand and arm muscles to each intervention. Regaining control over hand function represents the top priority for individuals with cervical SCI. Furthermore, this approach could be compatible with other future interventions, including medications and cell-based treatments.
The goal of this clinical trial is to determine whether people with paralysis due to a spinal cord injury can benefit from breathing short intermittent bouts of air with low oxygen (O2) combined with slightly higher levels of carbon dioxide (CO2), interspaced by breathing room air. The technical name for this therapeutic air mixture is 'acute intermittent hypercapnic-hypoxia,' abbreviated as AIHH. Following exposure to the gas mixture, participants will receive non-invasive electrical stimulation to the spinal cord paired with specific and targeted exercise training. The main question this trial aims to answer is: Can the therapeutic application of AIHH, combined with non-invasive electrical stimulation to the spinal cord plus exercise training, increase the strength of muscles involved in breathing and hand function in people with paralysis due to a spinal cord injury? Participants will be asked to attend a minimum of five study visits, each separated by at least a week. During these visits, participants will be required to: - Answer basic questions about their health - Receive exposure to the therapeutic air mixture (AIHH) - Undergo non-invasive spinal electrical stimulation - Complete functional breathing and arm strength testing - Undergo a single blood draw - Provide a saliva sample Researchers will compare the results of individuals without a spinal cord injury to those of individuals with a spinal cord injury to determine if the effects are similar.
This study will test the newly-developed My spinal cord injury (SCI) Toolkit program in two formats - unguided use of the program and use supported by a coach. These two active treatment formats will be compared to treatment as usual (waitlist control) in adults with chronic pain and SCI. Hypotheses include: - Treatment adherence, participant satisfaction, and perception of positive change will be high and drop-out rates low for both treatments but will be better in the coached compared to the unguided arm - In terms of pre- to post-treatment changes in pain interference, coached My SCI Toolkit program will be superior to treatment as usual
The goal of this study is to improve our understanding of speech production, and to translate this into medical devices called intracortical brain-computer interfaces (iBCIs) that will enable people who have lost the ability to speak fluently to communicate via a computer just by trying to speak.
The goal of this descriptive non-randomized feasibility study is to assess aspects of feasibility of the intervention arm in a planned full-scale randomized controlled trial testing the effectiveness of a self-management program for persons who have sustained a moderate to severe traumatic injury. All outcomes will be evaluated based on pre-defined success criteria. The main outcomes in the feasibility study are: - Consent rate of eligible patients - Drop-out rate - Attendance rate in the program sessions Secondary outcomes are the participants' acceptance, reception, and perceived usefulness. Other outcomes are fidelity and protocol adherence, as well as the feasibility of a telehealth version of the program and the data collection methods. The participants will receive a group-based self-management program consisting of eight weekly 2.5-hour sessions delivered by a multidisciplinary team. The self-management program is manualized and includes psychoeducation, training in self-management skills and strategies, setting goals, action planning, and sharing of experiences. The participants will also complete the pre- and post-intervention assessments.
The aim of the project is to test the effectiveness of robot-assisted upper-limb exercise in persons after cervical spinal cord injury. In a randomised controlled two-arm trial, the effect of adding two types of robot-assisted upper-limb exercise to standard occupational therapy will be tested. Three primary and two secondary outcomes will be assessed using well-established measures.
Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a devastating health condition associated with permanent disability and reduced life expectancy. It is stated that its annual incidence worldwide varies between 12.1 and 57.8 per million, and its prevalence varies between 236 and 1009 per million. SCI negatively affects the physical, psychological, and social well-being of individuals by causing sensory, motor, and autonomic dysfunction. The level of disability associated with SCI is different for each injury and varies depending on the level and type of injury. However, physical activity (PA), cardiovascular fitness, and respiratory system are commonly observed to be affected in most individuals with SCI. Due to inadequate control of somatic and autonomic systems, a decrease in the cardiovascular response to PA and exercise occurs. A decrease in PA level and systemic disorders after injury promote sedentary behavior and negatively affect cardiovascular fitness in individuals with SCI. Cervical and thoracic spinal cord injuries compromise the function of the respiratory muscles and significantly impair both inspiratory and expiratory function. It also interrupts the sympathetic innervation of the lungs and creates restrictive changes in the physiological and mechanical properties of the lungs. The broad effects of SCI on lung capacity may have implications for cardiovascular fitness. Adequate ventilation is critical to provide adequate oxygen to working muscles during prolonged physical activities. During moderate and high-intensity physical activities, ventilation increases in proportion to oxygen consumption to maintain arterial oxygen concentration and allow continuous PA. Knowing the relationship between PA, cardiovascular fitness, and respiratory parameters after SCI is essential in guiding the course of rehabilitation after SCI. Battikha et al. They reported that respiratory capacity plays an important role in limiting exercise capacity in individuals with SCI. However, the relationship between PA and cardiovascular fitness and respiratory parameters has not been fully examined in individuals with SCI. In this study, the investigators hypothesize the relationship between PA, cardiovascular fitness and respiratory parameters. Accordingly, this study aims to determine the relationship between PA, cardiovascular fitness and respiratory parameters in individuals with SCI.
The goal of this pilot clinical study is to investigate the NeuroLife EMG-FES Sleeve System, a closed-loop approach to functional electrical stimulation, in adults (n=12) with chronic (>12 months) tetraplegia due to spinal cord injury. Briefly, the NeuroLife EMG-FES System is a completely non-invasive system (surface electrodes only, no implantable components) worn on the forearm which has up to 160 electrodes that can record electromyography (EMG), or muscle activity, and also electrically stimulate (FES) muscles. The main questions this study aims to answer are: 1) What is the safety, feasibility, and early efficacy of the NeuroLife EMG-FES system on upper extremity outcomes in chronic SCI survivors with tetraplegia, and 2) Can EMG be used as a biomarker of recovery over time in chronic SCI participants undergoing rehabilitation? Participants will complete an intensive, task-oriented rehabilitation protocol using the NeuroLife EMG-FES System (3x/week x 12 weeks) in an outpatient setting. We will assess functional outcomes using standardized clinical measures of hand and arm function at six timepoints.
This study aims to explore the effect of trans cranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) combined with self-exercise at home for 1 month training (3 sessions/week, for 4 weeks). The outcome assessment including motor function, functional activity, spasticity through neurological assessment (H reflex latency and H/M amplitude ratio) and quality of life will be assessed before, after the intervention and at 1- month follow-up. Participant will communicate with physical therapist via video online platform for every sessions (12 sessions).