Active clinical trials for "Spinal Cord Injuries"

The goal of this interventional study is to assess differences in the metabolic consumption, the cardiorespiratory effort, the cardiac autonomic adaptation, and fatigability during ADL, such as standing from a chair and walking while wearing an electrically powered exoskeleton in different modes of supports in subjects with neurological diseases with moderate to severe walking impairments.

This is a prospective investigation of the effects of Laughter therapy (LT) on perceived stress, self-efficacy, mood and other wellness measures in people with the following neurological conditions: Alzheimer's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, brain injury, Huntington's Disease, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's Disease, post-stroke, spinal cord injury.

Most neurological injuries such as spinal cord injuries (SCI) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) spare a portion of nerve circuitry. Strengthening spared nerve circuits may be an important method to improve functional recovery. In this study, the investigators aim to use non-invasive magnetic and electrical stimulation to strengthen motor circuits between the brain and hands. Magnetic stimulation will be used over the motor cortex (scalp). Two methods of electrical stimulation will be compared: stimulation of the median nerve at the wrist; or direct stimulation of the cervical spinal cord across the skin on the back of the neck. Several different combinations of magnetic and electrical stimulation will be compared to find the conditions that best strengthen nerve circuits between the brain and hands - "Fire Together, Wire Together". PLEASE NOTE, THIS IS A PRELIMINARY STUDY. This study is testing for temporary changes in nerve transmission and hand function. THERE IS NO EXPECTATION OF LONG-TERM BENEFIT FROM THIS STUDY. If we see temporary changes in this study, then future studies would focus on how to prolong that effect.

Patients with spinal cord injury (SCI) experience metabolic syndrome, diabetes, obesity, pressure ulcers, and cardiovascular disease at far greater rates than the general population. A rehabilitation method to prevent or reverse the systemic metabolic consequences of SCI is a pressing need. The purpose of this study is to determine the dose of muscle activity that can enhance an oxidative muscle phenotype and improve clinical markers of metabolic health and bone turnover in patients with SCI. The long-term goal of this research is to develop exercise-based interventions to prevent secondary health conditions such as diabetes and to ultimately protect health-related quality of life (QOL). Specific Aim 1: To compare changes in skeletal muscle gene regulation in individuals who receive high frequency (HF) active-resisted stance and low frequency (LF) active-resisted stance for 3 years. Hypothesis 1: The expression of genes regulating skeletal muscle metabolism will support that HF and LF both instigate a shift toward an oxidative muscle phenotype. A novel finding will be that LF is a powerful regulator of oxidative pathways in skeletal muscle. Specific Aim 2: To compare changes in systemic markers of metabolic health and bone turnover in individuals with SCI who receive HF or LF for 3 years. Hypothesis 2: HF and LF will both reduce glucose/insulin levels and HOMA (homeostasis model assessment) score. Secondary Aim: To measure subject-reported QOL using the EQ-5D survey metric. Hypothesis 3: HF and LF subjects will show a trend toward improved self-reported QOL after 3 years. There will be an association between metabolic improvement and improved perception of QOL. These observations will support that this intervention has strong feasibility for future clinical translation.

The research will examine the effects of enhanced peer mentor interactions on facilitating a successful transition to community living following traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI). Participants in the research will be assigned to either (1) the control group that will receive traditional peer mentor types of interactions or (2) to the intervention group that will receive an enhanced peer mentor program called the One-on-One Initiative. Assignment to one of these two groups will occur randomly on admission to Shepherd Center; the only stratifying criteria is injury level - C6 and above vs. C7 and below.

The primary purpose of this study is to explore the benefits of vibration dumbbell resistance training over standard dumbbell resistance training for improving upper limb strength, function and pain among manual wheelchair users with paraplegia.

This study will examine the safety and feasibility of using an exoskeleton in subjects who are less than 6 months post spinal cord injury (SCI).

This study will evaluate the Phoenix device for safety and effectiveness at allowing persons with SCI who are non-ambulatory or poorly ambulatory to stand up and walk under a variety of conditions.

To improve spinal cord injury (SCI) rehabilitation through stronger informal caregiving, the proposed study will modify and evaluate a telehealth Transition Assistance Program (TAP) for informal caregivers of individuals with SCI during the transition from hospital to home. The TAP was previously developed for stroke caregivers and has been found to decrease caregiver strain and depression. In the proposed study, the TAP will be modified for SCI and implemented at a state-of-the-art SCI rehabilitation facility with a very high volume of SCI treatment and with telehealth technology already in place through which to test the intervention.

The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of onsite and telehealth programs for individuals with spinal cord injury. The primary aim of this study is to compare the effectiveness of a blended 5-day onsite health promotion program followed by a 12-month telehealth package composed of exercise, nutrition, and mindfulness, to a 12-month telehealth-only package in individuals with spinal cord injury. The investigators hypothesize that the blended onsite and telehealth program will achieve better gains in fitness, dietary control, body composition, and pain management scores across a one-year period in comparison to the telehealth-only group. The secondary objective of this study is to examine changes in psychosocial mediators between the two groups to determine if key social cognitive theory constructs were significantly different between the two groups. The investigators hypothesize that the blended onsite and telehealth program will achieve better improvements in these outcomes compared to the telehealth only group.