Spinal Cord Injury Clinical Trials

The purpose of this study is to test whether electrical stimulation of the skin in the pelvic area (near the genitals) can reduce the reflexes that cause bowel accidents in people with spinal cord injuries. Current bowel treatments either involve diet and medications or surgery. This study will evaluate whether electrical stimulation can be an alternate option for bowel management. Researchers will: * Use an FDA approved Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) device off-label * Compare a target stimulation level to a placebo stimulation level Participants will: * Use electrical stimulation on the skin in the pelvic area for 6-8 hours each day for 4 weeks at home * Visit the research center 3 times to participate in exams and answer questions * Keep a daily diary of their bowel symptoms and stimulation times Read Less

The purpose of this study is to evaluate a surgically implanted functional electrical stimulation (FES) system to facilitate stability of the trunk and hips. FES involves applying small electric currents to the nerves, which cause the muscles to contract. This study evaluates how stabilizing and stiffening the trunk with FES can change the way spinal cord injured volunteers sit, breathe, reach, push a wheelchair, or roll in bed. Read Less

Objectives: The study objective is to carry a pilot clinical assessment comparing the exciflex bandage to standard of care (SoC) for ischemic wounds and will involve participants who are Veterans with lower extremity ischemic wounds. Research Plan: The study will employ a randomized repeated measures design to assess the therapeutic effectiveness of exciflex in clinical use. Methodology: All participants with chronic ischemic wounds treated at LSCDVAMC will be potentially eligible for the study. Primary target populations will include Veterans with SCI who are inpatients or residents of the on-site Long Term Care Unit and Veterans with diabetes being followed by the Podiatry Service for wound care. In addition to meeting the general inclusion criteria noted above, further exclusion criteria relating to clinical factors include; (1)Age less than 18 years and (2)Pregnancy. Clinical Significance: Chronic ischemic wounds fail to heal normally and are a major challenge in the long-term care of many Veterans. The exciflex bandage can improve outcomes and lower cost by automatically delivering electrotherapy without disturbing the wound dressing for up to seven days, unless indicated. The overall study goal is to complete pre-market testing and evaluation of the exciflex bandage system. Read Less

The objective of this study is to determine the effectiveness of remote manual wheelchair skills training program. First, peer coaches will be enrolled and trained. Then, trainees will be enrolled into one of three interventions: intervention with remote feedback (Group 1), wait list control group (Group 2), and structured self-study (Group 3). Read Less

The DOSED clinical study evaluates the safety and utility of a novel delivery device to deliver LCTOPC1, a cell therapy, to the spinal cord of patients with a spinal cord injury (SCI). LCTOPC1 is designed to replace or support cells that are absent or dysfunctional due to traumatic injury, with a goal to help improve the quality of life and restore or augment functional activity in persons suffering from a traumatic cervical or thoracic injuries. Read Less

The purpose of this research study is to demonstrate the safety and efficacy of using two CRS Arrays (microelectrodes) for long-term recording of brain motor cortex activity and microstimulation of brain sensory cortex. Read Less

Stimulation of the spinal cord and brain represents a new experimental therapy that may have potential to restore movement after spinal cord injury. While some scientists have begun to study the effect of electrical stimulation on patient's ability to walk and move their legs after lower spinal cord injury, the use of stimulation of the upper (cervical) spine to restore arm and hand function after cervical spinal cord injury remains less well explored. The investigators are doing this research study to improve understanding of whether cervical spinal cord stimulation and brain stimulation can be used to improve arm and hand function. To do this, the investigators will combine spine stimulation (in the form of electrical stimulation from electrical stimulation wires temporarily implanted next to the cervical spinal cord) and brain stimulation (in the form of transcranial magnetic stimulation). The investigators will perform a series of experiments over 29 days to study whether these forms of stimulation can be applied and combined to provide improvement in arm and hand function. Read Less

This study is to test whether pelvis perturbation training paired with transcutaneous spinal direct current stimulation (tsDCS) will be effective in improving dynamic balance and locomotor function in humans with SCI. One group will receive pelvis perturbation training paired with tsDCS, one group will receive pelvis perturbation training paired with sham, and one group will receive treadmill training only. Read Less

The goal of this pilot clinical trial is to find out how well low dose naltrexone works for people with pain due to spinal cord injury. The main questions it aims to answer are: will low dose naltrexone reduce pain, and increase the quality of life for people with central neuropathic pain due to spinal cord injury. Hypothesis 1: LDN will decrease the severity of CNP in adult patients with SCI as measured by the Neuropathic Pain Scale (NPS) Hypothesis 2: LDN will improve quality of life of patients with SCI as measured by various validated clinical tools There is no comparison group. This study is being completed to give investigators more information for how to best run a larger clinical trial. Participants will be asked to take an oral dose of 4.5mg of naltrexone, daily, for 12 weeks. Read Less

This pilot study will determine the feasibility of implementing a combinatory rehabilitation strategy involving testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) with locomotor training (LT; walking on a treadmill with assistance and overground walking) in men with testosterone deficiency and walking dysfunction after incomplete or complete spinal cord injury. The investigators hypothesize that LT+TRT treatment will improve muscle size and bone mineral density in men with low T and ambulatory dysfunction after incomplete or complete SCI, along with muscle fundtion and walking recovery in men with T low and ambulatory dysfunction ater incomplete SCI. Read Less

The Hawks in Motion (HIM) High Intensity Exercise program is designed to implement the American Physical Therapy Clinical Practice Guidelines and American College of Sports Medicine recommendations for exercise for people with neurologic disability. Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) students administer the HIM High Intensity Exercise Program. A prior study evaluated the feasibility, safety, and efficacy of the HIM High Intensity Exercise Program and found it feasible, safe, and effective for 30 people with neurologic disabilities between the ages of 8-99 years. The investigators would like to evaluate whether participation in the HIM High Intensity Exercise Program affects mobility in everyday life. Physical activity will be measured one week before program implementation and one week after to assess if the participants' mobility in everyday improved. Read Less

The University at Buffalo (UB) Department of Rehabilitation Sciences is looking for adult volunteers with and without spinal cord injuries for a study on hand movement. The goal of the study is to learn about how the brain, nerves, and muscles of the body are connected and perform everyday tasks. This may help us to develop ways to improve the hand functions of people with spinal cord injuries. Read Less