Active clinical trials for "Spinal Cord Injuries"

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the common leading cause of death among people with spinal cord injury (SCI) and occurs at an early age in people with SCI as compared to able-bodied people. The findings are consistent in demonstrating a high prevalence of CVD among people with SCI. Lack of physical activity and/or prolonged sitting which is observed in people with SCI due to impaired/loss of motor function is associated with increased risk factors of CVD. By doing this study, researchers hope to learn the effects of walking training on cardiovascular health among people with chronic SCI.

The objective of this study is to examine the effects of mild acute intermittent hypoxia (AIH) in combination with an anti-inflammatory drug (i.e. prednisolone) on motor performance in persons with spinal cord injury (SCI).

VA research has been advancing a high-performance brain-computer interface (BCI) to improve independence for Veterans and others living with tetraplegia or the inability to speak resulting from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, spinal cord injury or stoke. In this project, the investigators enhance deep learning neural network decoders and multi-state gesture decoding for increased accuracy and reliability and deploy them on a battery-powered mobile BCI device for independent use of computers and touch-enabled mobile devices at home. The accuracy and usability of the mobile iBCI will be evaluated with participants already enrolled separately in the investigational clinical trial of the BrainGate neural interface.

The aim of this study is to provide critical information about the efficacy of Immersive Virtual Reality (IVR) to decrease the experience of neuropathic pain in the upper and lower extremities of people with a spinal cord injury.

This is a prospective, randomised study investigating the physical and psychological experience of intermittent catheterization in adult individuals following spinal cord injury (SCI).

As functional electrical stimulations has evident role in improving motor control in tenodesis function (power and precision grip) but its results are considered to be short term so addition of task oriented approach i.e. motor priming exercises could enhance the treatment effects . Priming is a mechanism that could easily be a part of a restorative occupational therapy approach, is a therapeutic method with the intent to improve function by targeting underlying neural mechanisms (neuroplasticity and motor control). This will yield the long term effects of priming augmented functional electrical stimulations to enhance the tenodesis function of patients with spinal cord injury. Their combination may produce improvement in hand functions dexterity in spinal cord injury patients.

Cervicocranial flexion exercise (CCFE) and superficial neck flexor endurance training have been widely implemented in clinical practice for curing chronic neck pain. By means of CCFE, the muscle balance between deep neck flexor and superficial flexor would be optimal during neck movement. In other words, the superficial neck flexor( scalenes, SCM, and trapezius) would not overactive and the fatigue threshold might increase. Superficial neck flexor endurance training is proved to be efficient in reducing superficial cervical flexor muscle fatigue as well as increasing cervical flexion strength. Reasonably, Cervicocranial flexion exercise (CCFE) and superficial neck flexor endurance training are also beneficial to pulmonary function due to training the respiratory accessory muscle (scalens and SCM). Hence this article hypothesizes that Cervicocranial flexion exercise (CCFE) and superficial neck flexor endurance training combined with common pulmonary rehabilitation will manifest better outcomes (pulmonary function, dyspnea situation, pain and stiffness level of neck) than pulmonary rehabilitation only.

Shoulder pain is a common, debilitating problem for persons with Spinal cord injuries (SCI). Shoulder pain affects approximately 40-50% of the total population of persons with paraplegia (those with SCI with full use of their upper extremities and no or limited use of their lower extremities). Among the etiologies of shoulder pain in persons with paraplegia, overuse syndrome is the most common. Shoulder overuse syndrome in a person with paraplegia is the result of high activity demands and high mechanical load on the upper extremity during activities such as wheelchair propulsion, transferring with the arms, and performing activities of daily living from a wheelchair height, resulting in increased overhead activity. The pain as a result of overuse syndrome can limit the patient's participation in occupational and physical therapy as well as limit performance of activities of daily living and participation in usual life activities. An alternative treatment for shoulder pain with evidence to support efficacy in the able bodied population is Manual Therapy (MT). Unfortunately, there have been no prior research studies published examining the therapeutic efficacy of MT for overuse injuries of the shoulder in patients with paraplegia. This study will determine if MT, is efficacious to reduce pain in this population. A total of 20 patients with paraplegia identified in the outpatient clinic at Craig Hospital with overuse syndrome of the shoulder will be enrolled in the study.

This is a phase I/IIa, randomized, double-blind, two-arms, two-dose administration, placebo controlled, two-way crossover clinical trial in which 10 patients from 18 to 65 years of age affected with chronic traumatic spinal cord will enter the study with the objective to assess the safety and to obtain efficacy data in intrathecal administration of expanded Wharton's jelly mesenchymal stem cells.

This project will characterize lower extremity eccentric muscle function among individuals who have undergone locomotor training after spinal cord injury and will evaluate the effect of downhill training at moderate speeds - targeted to rehabilitation eccentric function of the knee or hip.