Active clinical trials for "Spinal Cord Injuries"

Possover pioneered a minimally invasive and fully reversible laparoscopic technique, laparoscopic implantation of neuroprosthesis (LION), for precise placement of an implantable pulse generator and one to four leads for stimulating nerves of the lumbosacral plexus. Unexpectedly, Possover in 2014 made the clinical observation that four patients with complete and incomplete chronic traumatic spinal cord injury regained significant motor and sensory function following the LION procedure for bladder and bowel dysfunction. The primary objective of this randomized clinical trial is to investigate whether the LION procedure and the subsequent neurostimulation in individuals with chronic traumatic thoracolumbar spinal cord injury with spastic paraplegia is associated with increased walking capacity.

This study will enroll people with SCI who have spasticity and some ability to walk. The goal is to understand if standing on a platform and receiving WBV results in decreased spasticity and improved walking ability. Published article is available (PMID: 29959653)

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the potential reorganization in the sensorimotor cortex in spinal cord injury (SCI) patients after Body Weight Supported Treadmill Training (BWSTT) associated with conventional motor rehabilitation. The investigators hypothesized that training with weight bearing associated with conventional motor rehabilitation will be able to reorganize the brain.

The purpose of this study is to determine whether testosterone plus finasteride treatment will improve musculoskeletal health, neuromuscular function, body composition, and metabolic health in hypogonadal men who have experienced ambulatory dysfunction subsequent to incomplete spinal cord injury. The investigators hypothesize that this treatment will improve bone mineral density, enhance muscle size and muscle function, and improve body composition, without causing prostate enlargement.

Most individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI) have residual nerve circuits. The investigators aim to strengthen those circuits to improve motor recovery after injury. To do this, the investigators are attempting to pair electrical and magnetic stimulation with physical training targeted toward the connections between nerve circuits. Past studies by other groups have shown that synapse strength can be improved temporarily after a short period of paired stimulation between the brain (motor cortex) and the peripheral nerves serving target muscles - in other words, "Fire Together, Wire Together". The brain's intention to move a muscle can be read by recording surface electrical activity over target muscles (electromyography or EMG). In animal models of SCI, scientists have successfully used target muscle EMG to trigger spinal cord electrical stimulation pulses while the animals perform physical exercises. Using the body's own signals to trigger nerve stimulation is called "closed-loop stimulation". This might be an optimal method to coordinate brain and nerve activity, especially with the clinical advantage of being possible to combine with physical exercise training. However, whether EMG-triggered closed loop stimulation has the same amount of effect when applied non-invasively in humans is still unknown. This proposed study is a proof-of-principle to demonstrate the potential of non-invasive closed-loop stimulation in humans with incomplete cervical SCI. We will test different combinations of triggered and non-triggered electrical and magnetic stimulation, and record the short-term effects on nerve transmission and skilled function of hand muscles. This pilot study will be a foundation for future studies combining EMG-triggered stimulation with long-term physical exercise training.

The purpose of this study is to determine if there is a relationship between spasticity and relative changes in Basal Energy Expenditure in persons with spinal cord injury.

Paraplegic patients have defective wound healing for sore below the level of spinal lesion. Defect of vascularization of the healing zone certainly participate to this effect. Therefore, this study want to measure, in a clinical settings, the interface pressure (e.g. the pressure between the patient body and the surface he/she is lying on) to assess the correlation between mechanical stress in term of pressure applied over time and tissue oxygenation which represent micro-vascular function. The aim of this clinical trial is to correlate the variations of pressure intensities and changes in micro-vascularization. The measure are recorded when paraplegic patient came into the hospital for pressure ulcer related surgery. The patient is laying on his/her mattress on top of a flexible pressure mapping device. The micro-vascularization parameters are measured at the area displaying the peak pressure a few minutes after the beginning of the pressure interface recording and one hour later at the same area. The data generated during this monocentric study will help to achieve a better understanding of the relation between pressure and micro-vascularization. In the mid term, it will provide a better and more patient adapted pressure ulcer prevention.

Functional electrical stimulation (FES) has been used for decades in rehabilitation centers. Having demonstrated efficacy for prevention of muscle atrophy following spinal cord injury (SCI), FES can also be considered for functional restoration of hand movements in the patients with complete tetraplegia belonging to group 0 or 1 of the classification of Giens. However, the majority of the systems using the FES directly stimulates the muscles (surface electrodes, intramuscular or epimysial), which increases the number of components and requires more electrical energy for the muscle activation. Nerve stimulation would activate more muscles through a reduced number of electrodes, limiting the number of internal components, reduces the risk of spreading infections and require less electrical energy for its operation.

The main aim of this study is to investigate the effect of patterned distribution stimulation compared to conventional stimulation in reducing muscle fatigue during functional electrical stimulation (FES) following spinal cord injury (SCI).

The study is designed to assess if spinal cord injury patients have reduced pain after taking either pregabalin or placebo in a cross over design. Patients had either pain at the level of their injury or below the level of their injury.