Electrical Stimulation of Abdominal Muscles for Bowel Management in People With Spinal Cord Injury (BOWMAN)

This is an interventional treatment trial for Neurogenic Bowel Read More

Inclusion Criteria:

People with a diagnosis of SCI (age=>18) above T12 complete or incomplete lesion in a medically stable condition with a reflex bowel =>1 year post spinal injury).

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Exclusion Criteria:

A history of organic bowel obstruction, frequent opioid use, intrathecal baclofen or percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy, inflammatory bowel disease, abdominal hernia, any gastrointestinal or abdominal surgery (not necessarily excluded unless recent will require further investigation), lower motor neuron lesions, suspected strictures or fistulae along the gastrointestinal tract, physiologic gastrointestinal obstruction. Other causes of constipation such as hypothyroidism, hypercalcaemia and a prior history of constipation predominant IBS prior to diagnosis of SCI. Involvement in other research trial interventions likely to have an impact on the protocol or results of the current study.

Contra indications to electrical stimulation Poorly controlled epilepsy, cardiac pacemaker in situ or other implanted electrical devices (will require further investigation to examine whether there is an interaction between the device and FES) pregnancy or pregnancy planned, cancerous tissue in the abdominal region, any major skin disorders affecting the abdominal area) severe autonomic dysreflexia (tested at initial assessment).

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