Spinal Stimulation With Gait Training to Improve Lower Limbs Motor Recovery in Spinal Cord Injury
Starting soon · Not applicable · Has a placebo group
Conditions studied: Spinal Cord Injury, Spinal Cord Injury Subacute, Locomotion, Gait Disorder, Sensorimotor, Gait Disorders
In brief
Spinal cord injury (SCI) often results in partial or complete loss of movement. In the subacute phase (\< 6 months), the central nervous system shows increased potential for neuroplasticity, making it more responsive to rehabilitation and external stimulation. Standard care in rehabilitation centers relies on activity-based therapy (ABT), which uses intensive, task-specific training to promote recovery. Although ABT can improve mobility, its effects are often limited due to the nature of SCI and the indirect activation of neural circuits. Recent findings suggest that adding transcutaneous spinal cord stimulation (tSCS) to ABT in chronic SCI (\> 12 months) can enhance lower-limb motor recovery. This study will evaluate whether combining tSCS with gait training is safe and feasible in individuals with subacute SCI and whether it improves lower-limb motor outcomes compared with gait training alone. The investigators hypothesize that pairing gait training with tSCS early after injury will be safe and feasible and that tSCS delivered during gait training will augment leg muscle activation and lead to greater functional improvements. The study will also assess the feasibility, safety and tolerability of implementing this combined intervention in a intensive functional rehabilitation setting.
Key facts
- Study ID
- NCT07375745
- Run by
- Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Rehabilitation of Greater Montreal
- People needed
- 40
- Starts
- 2026-10-01
- Expected to finish
- 2029-07-01
- Last updated by the study team
- 2026-08-03
Who can join
Age: 16 and older. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: not accepted.
You may qualify if…
- paraplegic or quadriplegic participants with a subacute spinal cord injury (sSCI), defined as the stage of spinal cord damage occuring between 1 week and 6 months post-injury
- above 16 years old
- have a lesion between C1 - L2
- be considered as AIS A to D
- be able to stay at least 10 minutes standing with or without assistance
- can provide informed consent (no cognitive deficits by MoCA)
- be able to follow instructions in French or English
You may not qualify if…
- pacemaker
- active cancer on stimulation site or metastatic cancer
- unhealed wound, scar or pain which makes positioning of the electrodes impossible
- participants with specific contraindications to TMS (epilepsy, non-union cranial fracture and increased intracranial pressure) will be able to participate in the study, but will not receive TMS
- chronic and severe neuropathic pain
- pharmacology or implants that may impede with rehabilitation or spinal stimulation
- pregnancy
Where it is running
- Institut de réadaptation Gingras-Lindsay-de-Montréal (IRGLM) — Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov
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