Active clinical trials for "Spinal Cord Injuries"

The purpose of this Phase IIB randomized controlled trial is to evaluate the safety and efficacy of CSFD and to provide a preliminary clinical efficacy evaluation of the combination of CSFD and elevation of mean arterial pressure (MAP) in patients with acute spinal cord injury (SCI). The objectives of the trial are to evaluate (i) efficacy of reducing intrathecal pressure (ITP) by CSFD in patients with acute SCI; (ii) preliminary efficacy of combination of CSFD and elevation of MAP compared to elevation of MAP alone in improving neurologic motor outcomes in patients with acute SCI; and, (iii) safety of intensive CSFD in acute SCI patients.

Sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) remains under-treated in individuals living with spinal cord injuries and disorders (SCI/D). The investigators' aim is to test a program that addresses challenges and barriers to positive airway pressure (PAP) treatment of SDB among patients with SCI/D. The investigators anticipate that patients who receive this program will have higher rates of PAP use and will demonstrate improvements in sleep quality, general functioning, respiratory functioning and quality of life from baseline to 6 months follow up compared to individuals who receive a control program. This work addresses critical healthcare needs for patients with SCI/D and may lead to improved health and quality of life for these patients.

The purpose of this randomized controlled study is to evaluate psychological variables, mindfulness, and pain in the context of a specialized yoga program for individuals with SCI. Participants will be randomized to either a wait-list control condition or to a specialized yoga program condition.

The objective of the study was to determine the efficacy of two forms of physical therapy training, one emphasizing precise, visually guided walking over obstacles and on targets (Precision Training), the other emphasizing mass practice of walking on a treadmill (Endurance Training). The hypothesis was that visually guided training (Precision) may be especially efficacious because it engages the motor cortex, whose input may facilitate improvements in functional walking. Participants are individuals with a chronic (≥7 months post-injury), motor incomplete spinal cord injury (SCI), with no other problems that would preclude participation in an intensive training program. A randomized, single-blinded, cross-over design was used to randomly allocate participants to start with Precision or Endurance Training, identified as Training Phase I. Training was 5x/wk for 2 months, followed by a 2-month rest period, identified as Rest Period I. Participants then returned for 2-months of training in the other method, identified as Training Phase II, followed by another 2-month rest, Rest Period II. Measures of walking speed, distance, skill, confidence, as well as depression were obtained at least 3 times before any training, then monthly thereafter. Electrophysiological measures were taken before and after each phase of training and period of rest. Change scores were used to determine how each phase of training and rest influenced the scores (see below).

People with spinal cord injuries (SCI) are among the least physically active groups in our society. Approximately 1 in 4 healthy young persons with spinal cord injury (SCI) does not have sufficient fitness to perform many essential activities of daily living. About 50% of people with SCI engage in no leisure time physical activity. That is, they do not wheel or walk for pleasure, don't play a sport, don't exercise at home or go to a gym. As a result of this, cardiovascular, endocrine and metabolic conditions adversely affect the health of a large segment of the SCI population. Fortunately, clinic and/or laboratory-based aerobic conditioning and circuit training studies provide compelling evidence that people with SCI can improve their cardiorespiratory fitness and by doing so can partially reverse cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors, enhance Quality of Life (QOL) and improve elements of subjective well-being. While intensive, clinic-based, supervised exercise programs can improve the fitness and health of persons with SCI, the value of these findings for the SCI population is limited because the vast majority of people do not have access to these specialized programs and facilities. The gap that the present study addresses is: How can we extend the benefits of increased exercise and physical activity to more people with SCI? The goal of this study is to evaluate the feasibility of an individually tailored, home- or community-based, telephone delivered intervention that uses evidence-based behavioral and motivational counseling to increase daily physical activity and exercise.

The Ibuprofen - Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) - Safety trial investigates tolerability and feasibility of "small molecule" (Ibuprofen) mediated Rho-inhibition as putative neuroprotective, plasticity-enhancing and neurorestaurative intervention. The primary safety analysis is based on the incidence of severe gastrointestinal bleedings. In addition, the feasibility of recruitment procedure, and oral administration of the compound within the multidisciplinary setting of acute intensive medical care will be explored. Furthermore, the pharmacokinetics of Ibuprofen under the condition of acute motor complete SCI will be investigated. Secondary endpoints will permit preliminary statements about effects on neuropathic pain, spasticity, and neurological function.

The aim is to investigate the influence of caffeine on heart rate variability and on performance in a 3 min exercise test in different population groups (able-bodied, paraplegic and tetraplegic subjects). In general, the investigators are interested in the differences between the heart rate variability before and after caffeine supplementation and if the subjects exercise performance is enhanced using this type of supplementation. Another objective is to see whether there are differences between able-bodied and disabled subjects. Tetraplegic subjects showed in some previous studies no Low-Frequency-component (LF) for heart rate variability and no increase in catecholamines after the ingestion of caffeine. Therefore the investigators think, that tetraplegic subjects won't show any ergogenic effect in exercise performance after the intake of caffeine. On the other hand, paraplegic subjects should show similar differences of heart rate variability after the ingestion of caffeine as able-bodied subjects. Paraplegic subjects should benefit from caffeine supplementation in an increase in exercise performance.

The purpose of this current prospective study is to assess the effects of body weight support treadmill training (BWSTT) in individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI). Training intervention aim at improving: quality of life, walking capability, spasticity, functions in every day life, bone mass density and related hematological factors. The examination consisted of (1) neurological classification by ASIA standard neurological classification of spinal cord injury working sheet, (2) spasticity evaluation of lower limbs by Modified Ashworth Scale, (3) walking independence evaluation by Walking Index for Spinal Cord Injury II (WISCI II), (4) patient's quality of life perspective by World Health Quality of Life- BREF (WHOQOL-BREF), (5) the functional status by 10-item Modified Barthel Index, (6) bone mass density (BMD) by Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scan, (7) body tissue consistency by full body DXA scan, (8) skeletal system health associated blood factors (calcitonin, osteocalcin, 25 OH vitamin D, 1,25- (OH)2 vitamin D, ostase and parathyroid hormone) by hematological tests. The results will be collected and evaluated using statistical software (i.e. SPSS).

The purpose of this study is to determine if a second year of exposure to teriparatide in both subjects that received a year of teriparatide or teriparatide-placebo will result in a greater increase in bone mass density (BMD) compared to that seen in a single year's treatment. This study will also investigate 1) if a second year of teriparatide therapy will increase bone strength in people with chronic spinal cord injury (SCI) who previously received a year of teriparatide or teriparatide-placebo, 2) the number of participants with adverse events from teriparatide, and 3) the effects of teriparatide on serum markers of bone metabolism.

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a disabling condition that impairs fundamental abilities, such as ambulation, respiration, and toileting. Compromised ambulation is a common, devastating impairment following SCI. Yet, despite the fundamental desire to walk, no conventional rehabilitation regimen reliably improves ambulation after SCI, and many SCI patients do not have reliable transportation access, decreasing community integration and access to needed services, including rehabilitation. Little is also known about the subtle neural events that may predict motor recovery in incomplete SCI patients. This study will test a novel, safe, easy to implement technique that has shown promise in improving gait in incomplete SCI patients. The investigators expect that this study will confirm the efficacy of this technique, by showing that it increases the speed and efficiency of walking. This outcome is expected to produce a therapy that improves outcomes and health, and reduces care costs, for community dwelling patients with incomplete SCI.