Active clinical trials for "Spinal Cord Injuries"

Acupuncture has been used with good results for many years at Toronto Rehabilitation Institute Lyndhurst Centre (Toronto, ON, Canada), Parkwood Hospital (London, ON, Canada) and GF Strong Rehabilitation Institute (Vancouver, BC, Canada) to reduce burning pain in individuals with spinal cord injuries (SCI). This multi-centre RCT will test an acupuncture protocol for treatment of burning pain in 40 people with burning pain in SCI, using a sham acupuncture protocol as the control. Objectives of Study: To determine the feasibility of conducting a real acupuncture vs. sham acupuncture trial in a multi-centre study using the Lyndhurst Central Neuropathic Pain Acupuncture Protocol (LCCNPAP). This will inform a larger study which will directly evaluate the effect of the LCCNPAP on pain and Quality of Life (QOL) in individuals with SCI. To determine which outcome measures are most responsive and the amount of change that could be expected, with respect to pain and QOL, for the larger study. To obtain preliminary data to determine subject numbers for future studies evaluating the effect of the acupuncture protocol.

To assess the level of improvement in voiding function after lumbar to sacral ventral nerve re-routing procedure in Spinal Cord Injury and spina bifida patients

To evaluate the safety and efficacy of the Spinal Sealant as an adjunct to sutured dural repair compared with standard of care methods (control) to obtain watertight dural closure intraoperatively in patients undergoing spinal surgery. To evaluate the safety and efficacy of the Spinal Sealant as an adjunct to sutured dural repair compared with standard of care methods (control) to obtain watertight dural closure in patients undergoing spinal surgery up to 90 days post-procedure.

As clinicians, it is often a struggle to find effective pain control for a certain subgroup of patients with tetraplegia. These patients often have severe upper back, neck, and shoulder pain, limiting rehabilitation productivity and potential, and always limiting quality of life. This pain appears to be primarily musculoskeletal. Muscles in the upper back and neck become shortened, rock hard, and extremely tender with even the slightest touch or stretch. Refractory to multiple classes of medications, modalities, and other treatments, patients truly suffer-not only from pain, but from fatigue, sedation, expense, and loss of useful rehabilitation time due to attempted remedies. Unfortunately, this subgroup of patients is not small and the problem is significant, as anyone who specializes in the treatment of spinal cord injury patients will recognize. In search for another form of treatment, botulinum toxin A (BTXA) may be promising for pain control in that group of patients with tetraplegia whose pain has proven to be refractory to treatment. It did not take long searching the literature to find compelling evidence that BTXA may have another mechanism of action for direct pain control, apart from its well known mechanism for spasticity control. Clinically, it is increasingly being recommended and used for this purpose. In fact, one of the specific indications now recognized by most for BTXA treatment is for myogenic pain due to short, tight, strained muscles-just as we see with our population. Yet, it's application has not been studied in people with tetraplegia. Thus, the genesis of the project and the hope to help our patients evolved. Study hypotheses: In addition to traditional treatments used for pain control, injection of BTXA into cervical and upper back muscles will effectively reduce cervical/shoulder pain severity reported by individuals with cervical spinal cord injuries, regardless of the etiology of pain. Pain reduction secondary to the use of BTXA will be associated with a decrease in total analgesic medication use among SCI patients during acute inpatient rehabilitation. BTXA to treat cervical/shoulder pain will increase active participation in the rehabilitation program for individuals with tetraplegia during inpatient rehabilitation.

The overall purpose of this pilot study is to evaluate CSF drainage as a potential neuroprotective strategy after acute spinal cord injury (SCI).

The effects of lateral trunk supports (LTS) in special seating on the spinal alignment of 17 spinal cord injured (SCI) subjects with scoliosis were studied using bi-planar radiographs. The LTS improved significantly the functional scoliotic spinal alignment in the frontal and sagittal planes regardless of the severity of scoliosis.

Normally, nerve fibers carry electrical impulses through the spinal cord, providing communication between the brain and the arms and legs. In people with spinal cord injury, some fibers may be destroyed at the site of injury, while others remain connected but do not work correctly to carry electrical impulses. As a result, subjects with an incomplete spinal cord injury may have spasticity which is muscle spasms or muscle stiffness that makes movement difficult. Fampridine-SR is an experimental drug that increases the ability of the nerve to conduct electrical impulses. This study will examine the effects of Fampridine-SR on moderate to severe lower-limb spasticity, as well as the effects on bodily functions such as bladder control, bowel function and sexual function. The study will also examine the possible risks of taking Fampridine-SR.

OBJECTIVES: I. Compare the efficacy and safety of 24- versus 48-hour infusion of methylprednisolone (MePRDL) versus tirilazad for patients with acute spinal cord injury. II. Compare neurologic recovery following 24- and 48-hour MePRDL infusions.

OBJECTIVES: I. Assess the ability of patients with and without sensorimotor loss below the thoracic spinal cord injury to execute coordinated whole-limb synergies sufficient for walking with full or partial weight support. II. Promote weight bearing, balance, and reciprocal leg movement in these patients. III. Elicit synchronized motor output within and between limbs in these patients.

Pain is a major problem for people after spinal cord injuries and amputations. This is a study to test how pain is affected by adding methadone to a six-week program of weekly physical therapy, relaxation training and counseling. Individuals who qualify for this study will receive a comprehensive medical and physical therapy evaluation.