View clinical trials related to Spinal Cord Injury.
Filter by:Insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) is used as a measure of the body's ability to produce growth hormone. Growth hormone is important for muscle tissue as well as many other tissues in the body. Growth hormone (GH) and IGF-I have been shown to be reduced in many persons with SCI. Baclofen is a FDA approved drug that is used to treat spasticity. Persons receiving long-term baclofen therapy have been demonstrated to have increased growth hormone and IGF-I levels. IGF-I levels will be determined before and after treatment with baclofen. In this study, the investigators will determine the minimum dose of baclofen at which improvements in GH and IGF-1 levels occur.
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%.
People with mobility disabilities are at greater risk than the general population for incurring health problems. Many of these conditions are preventable through behavior and lifestyle changes such as exercise and physical activity. Recent evidence suggests that people with disabilities experience the same physiologic response to exercise as the general population. Nonetheless, nearly three-fourths of those with disabilities report being entirely sedentary or not active enough to achieve health benefits. Despite some knowledge of issues that limit physical activity among this population, few studies have investigated methods for promoting physical activity adoption among people with disabilities, including wheelchair users. The purpose of this study is to test the effectiveness of a behavioral intervention to promote physical activity adoption over 6 months and maintenance of physical activity over another 6 months by community-dwelling manual wheelchair users.
The purpose of this research is to develop tools enable people who are paralyzed to operate technology and access computers. These tools are called brain computer interfaces (BCIs). BCIs would let a person use brain signals to operate technology.
Vitamin D aids in the body's ability to absorb calcium, it is a vital component in bone formation and break down. Reduced levels of vitamin D can indicate a vitamin deficiency and may depress serum calcium levels. The following is a list of common causes of vitamin D deficiency: lack of dairy products, alcohol usage, elderly, lack of exposure to sunlight, individuals with reduced mobility, GI malabsorption problems, dark complexion, severe liver damage, and renal failure. Many of these factors can be found in individuals with spinal cord injury. SCI results in disuse bone loss after acute injury, which continues with duration of injury. The goal of this study is to determine the effects of vitamin D and calcium supplements on calcium metabolism and vitamin D deficiency in individuals undergoing functional electrical stimulation (FES) stand retraining (SRT).
Coronary heart disease (CHD) is a leading cause of death in the spinal cord injured (SCI) population, occurring at younger ages than in the able-bodied population. Conventional risk factors for CHD include high concentrations of low-density lipoprotein (LDL), low concentrations of high-density lipoprotein (HDL), diabetes mellitus (DM), smoking history, and family history. Other factors that may influence progression of CHD include C-reactive protein (an inflammatory marker), and fibrinogen (a pro-coagulant marker). Individuals with SCI with longer duration and greater completeness of injury are more likely to have significantly worse carbohydrate tolerance compared to other neurological deficit subgroups. Muscle atrophy after SCI is associated with increased insulin resistance. Prolonged inactivity has been shown to be associated with hyperinsulinemia and impaired glucose tolerance. Body composition changes after SCI to indicate significantly more total body fat mass and percent fat and less lean mass compared to able-bodied individuals. Carotid intima-media thickness is correlated with atherosclerosis progression and abdominal adiposity. Individuals with abdominal adiposity are at a higher risk for CHD, DM, hypertension, insulin resistance, and dyslipidemia. Abdominal adiposity and insulin resistance are contributors to postprandial lipemia, which may be a more sensitive indicator of CHD risk and progression. The purpose of this study is to determine the prevalence of conventional risk factors by assessing the 10-year risk for CHD, and identify emerging risk factors for CHD in the spinal cord injured population. Subjects will have the option to participate in a high fat meal test to determine postprandial lipemic responses. Knowledge of this information may be able to detect and prevent future cardiovascular events related to CHD.
Periodic screening for colon cancer has become the standard of care in individuals over the age of 50. In this context, it is generally accepted that colonoscopy is the most sensitive modality for the detection of colon cancer and/or pre malignant colon pathology. As currently performed, however, colonoscopy requires that stool be eliminated from the colon before the examination. If stool remains in the colon, visualization of the bowel will be partially or completely impaired and limits the effectiveness of the screening. A number of methods are employed for purging the bowel of waste material but they generally involve either administration of a lavage (like a flush) solution (such as Colyte or Golytely) or of an osmotic laxative (such as sodium phosphate or magnesium citrate). Neither of these approaches is uniformly effective in all individuals and neither is without potential complications, especially on the kidneys. It is the intent of the proposed research to study the relative efficacy and safety of these preparations in both able-bodied individuals as well as people with spinal cord injury. To this end, we will randomize these groups to a lavage solution, a laxative or a combination of the two prior to a routine, clinically indicated colonoscopy. The quality of the preparation will be directly assessed during the colonoscopy and the effect of these preparations on kidney function will be determined. We suspect that when it comes to preparation for colonoscopy, one shoe does not fit all sizes. The proposed research should allow us to determine which form of preparation is least harmful while achieving optimal effectiveness.
The ATLET study will assess the effect of manual or robotic body-weight supported locomotor training of patients with stable motor incomplete spinal cord injury (SCI) on gait and overall ADL function as well as on estimated health care costs.
After a spinal cord injury the brain is no longer completely in control of the body below the level of injury. This affects many organs and systems in the body, we are interested in understanding how a spinal cord injury affects blood pressure and blood flow to the brain. We are going to study blood pressure while the person is seated in a wheelchair before and after we give the subject medications which should increase blood pressure in a laboratory setting and over the course of a normal day in persons with spinal cord injury.
The purpose of this study is to determine if tetraplegic individuals with incomplete spinal cord injury (SCI) who remain unable to move their arms normally 1 year after their SCIs are able to sense and move the affected arm(s) better after 10-13 weeks of treatment with a new robotic therapy device. The hypothesis is that using the AMES device on the arm(s) of chronic tetraplegic subjects with incomplete SCI will result in improved strength, sensation, and functional movement in treated limb(s).