View clinical trials related to Spinal Cord Injury.
Filter by:To determine whether functional electrical stimulation (FES) promotes neurological and physical recovery in patients with spinal cord injury (SCI). The researchers will investigate the extent of functional recovery in patients with spinal cord injury who receive functional electrical stimulation in the upper extremities compared with patients who do not receive FES.
After spinal cord injury, patients have frequent urinary tract infections (UVI). Vitamin C is usually prescribed to prevent such infection, but the efficacy of the treatment is poorly documented. In the study, patients will be randomised either to receive vitamin C daily, or not, for one year, and clinical episodes of UVI will be registered. The null hypothesis is that vitamin C will not reduce the number of UVI episodes by 30%.
The purpose of this study is to see what the effect of Botox has on bladder function for those who have recently suffered spinal cord injury. We also will study bladder tissue levels of NGF (nerve growth factor) that can tell us how the nerves to the bladder are healing after injury. Consenting male and female cervical and high thoracic (T10 and above) SCI patients will be identified within the first 6-7 weeks after SCI and randomized to two external urethral sphincter injection groups. Each group will be injected within 8 weeks after SCI (Day 0) and 3 months later (Day 90). The injection paradigm will consist of: Group 1-100 units of BTX-A (Botox®, Allergan Inc., Irvine, CA) on Day 0 and 100 units of BTX-A on Day 90; Group 2-sham saline injections on both Day 0 and Day 90. Injections will be performed under local anesthesia using standard flexible cystoscopic equipment. Use of placebo is justified because: 1. there have been documentation of nerve desensitization with dry needling (i.e. acupuncture) and wet needling (i.e. saline)--therefore, to truly demonstrate benefit of Botox over just the needle insertion into the sphincter muscle or injection of the diluent saline, a sham saline injection group is included, 2. the injection procedure itself is minimally invasive and not expected to result in any complications. Subjects who qualify and have signed the informed consent document will be randomized into two groups, those receiving the BTX-A and those receiving placebo. Blinding will be performed by the TIRR pharmacy department who will provide Botox and placebo in identical syringes so that the treating staff will be blinded. Pharmacists will ensure patients receive the same agent at the time of the second injection. Unblinding will occur at the end of the study or if complications necessitate breaking of the code. Both groups will undergo urodynamic testing to document before and after treatment data. Bladder biopsies will be taken prior to treatment in both groups that will be analyzed for nerve growth factor. Three day voiding diaries will be kept and reviewed with the study coordinator at the follow up visits. Quality of life questionnaires will be completed at each follow up visit. The treatments will take place on Day 0 and Day 90. Follow up visits will occur at Day 120, 16 month, and 28 months.
This clinical trial aims to treat a damaged spinal cord by injecting your own bone marrow stromal cells (autologous bone marrow stromal cells) into cerebrospinal fluid through the lumbar puncture, and assess the safety and efficacy of the procedure.
The purpose of this study is to determine if the use of a respiratory resistance trainer will increase respiratory muscle strength, improve sleep quality and improve quality of life in individuals with spinal cord injury. Hypothesis: Use of the respiratory resistance trainer will improve respiratory muscle strength, improve sleep quality, and improve quality of life among individuals with spinal cord injury.
We hypothesize that probiotic Lactobacillus can augment antibiotic treatment of symptomatic urinary tract infection (UTI) in spinal cord injured patients, and also increase the time to the next episode of UTI.
The purpose of this study is to evaluate the tolerability and efficacy of erythropoietin (EPO) treatment in spinal shock in comparison with the methylprednisolone treatment (MP).
This study would focus on adding a group exercise program to the usual therapy delivered in the hospital. We propose to design an exercise program that would be 30 minutes in length, 3 times per week. A medical doctor and physiotherapist would oversee the design and monitoring of the program. We believe that this program will: 1) Increase the potential for better health, thus improving independence and quality of life; 2) Help people make the move from therapist run exercise to self management of exercise; 3) Engage the patient in the therapy process and place an expectation of active participation on the client; and 4) Promote physical activity as part of a healthy lifestyle.
Pressure ulcers are a serious, costly, and life-long complication of spinal cord injury (SCI). Pressure ulcer prevalence has been estimated at between 17 and 33% among persons with SCI residing in the community. Epidemiological studies have found that 36-50% of all persons with SCI who develop pressure ulcers will develop a recurrence within the first year after initial healing (Carlson et al., 1992; Fuhrer et al., 1993; Goldstein, 1998; Niazi et al., 1997; Salzberg et al. 1998). Recurrence rates have ranged from 21% to 79%, regardless of treatment (Schryvers et al., 2000; Goodman et al., 1999; Niazi et al., 1997). Pressure ulcer treatment is expensive. Surgical costs associated with pressure ulcer treatment can exceed $70,000 per case (Braun et al., 1992). VA administrative (National Patient Care Database, NPCD) data indicate that 41% of inpatient days in the SCI population are accounted for by either primary or secondary diagnoses of pressure ulcers or 23% of SCI inpatient days if restricted to primary diagnoses of pressure ulcers. Pressure ulcer recurrence has been associated with many factors including previous pressure ulcer surgery (Niazi et al., 1997). Although little data exist describing the factors associated with recurrence following surgery, some investigators reported recurrence rates of 11%-29% in cases with post-operative complications and 6% to 61% in cases without post-operative complications (Mandrekas & Mastorakos, 1992; Relander & Palmer, 1988; Disa et al., 1992). In a retrospective study of 48 veterans with SCI, investigators reported a 79% recurrence rate following surgery (Goodman et al., 1999).