Rehabilitation Clinical Trials

This pilot study for stroke patients with chronic upper limb hemiplegia will examine the effects of non-invasive brain stimulation and neuromuscular electrical stimulation on hand motor control and corticospinal excitability. Specifically, this study will investigate the effects of timing and delivery of tDCS in conjunction with contralaterally controlled functional electrical stimulation. Read Less

Following lung transplantation (LTX), patients may exhibit respiratory and skeletal muscle weakness that will affect exercise capacity, increase dyspnea and fatigue, limit activities of daily living (ADL) and decrease quality of life. Inspiratory muscle training (IMT) has been extensively studied in a variety of non-LTX populations and research has shown that IMT improves exercise capacity, diaphragmatic thickness, and reduced dyspnea during activities of daily living and improved quality of life in patients with advanced lung disease. The aim of this randomized controlled study is to investigate the benefits of providing inspiratory muscle training via use of an inspiratory muscle trainer device in addition to standard physical therapy in the acute phase of rehabilitation following LTX. Patients targeted for enrollment will be those with any type of advanced lung disease requiring LTX with the objective of demonstrating improvements in respiratory muscle recovery, perceived dyspnea, severity of fatigue, and overall functional status following the transplant procedure. Read Less

Current clinical assessment tools are often not sensitive enough to detect and treat some subtle (yet troubling) problems after mTBI. In this study, the investigators will use wearable sensors to both assess and treat people with mTBI. Specifically, the investigators will provide immediate feedback, with visual and/or auditory, on movement quality during physical therapy. This immediate feedback on performance may improve outcomes as the investigators will measure multiple body segments including head movements simultaneously with balance and walking exercises. Such complex movements are needed for safe return to high level activity and military duty. The investigators will test this approach against a standard vestibular rehabilitation program. There are few potential risks to this study such as increasing symptoms and a small fall risk. Benefits include physical therapy for balance problems regardless of therapy with or without biofeedback. An indirect benefit is to have data on correct dosage of physical therapy. The investigators will also distinguish which concussion subtype profiles benefit most from physical therapy. This will help healthcare providers and patients by providing more information to help establish clinical guidelines and new tools for physical therapy. Read Less

Sleep is critical for health and quality of life; however, little is known about the prevalence or impact of non obstructive sleep apnea (non-OSA) sleep disorders in people with stroke. The proposed study aims to characterize the proportion of people with stroke that have non-OSA sleep disorders and their impact on recovery of activities of daily living, functional mobility, and participation along the continuum of recovery in people with stroke. Read Less

The overall objective of this study is to compare outcomes following early versus delayed weight bearing for adult patients operatively treated for an ankle fracture without syndesmotic fixation. Additionally, early weight bearing will be tested in patients with unicondylar plateau fractures that do not involve joint impaction in the context of a pilot study. Read Less

More and more people are surviving after receiving life support for respiratory failure in the intensive care unit, but these patients often experience problems with depression and physical functioning that lead to reduced quality of life. There is a lack of treatment for these patients, with past research suggesting that treatment may be more successful if mental and physical health are addressed at the same time. This research evaluates whether a therapy delivered via telephone and home visits, combining treatment for depression and physical rehabilitation, is feasible and might help patients recover. Read Less

The investigators previously developed a virtual 14-day dual-task walking exercise program and tested its feasibility with individuals with mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) history. The investigators will test the feasibility and efficacy of a mobile app-version (Uplode) of the same 14-day exercise program (Brain & Walk Exercise Every Day [BraW-Day]), on cognition, sensorimotor, and other functions in a group of voluntary young adults with an mTBI between last three months to two years, including student athletes, Veterans, and ethnic minorities. Read Less

The overall goal of this project is to reduce risk of second anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury in vulnerable populations (active athletes between 14 = 24 years old) through the identification of relative injury risk groups based on subject-specific movement patterns prior to second injury, as well as through the determination of effect for differential rehabilitation protocols following initial ACL reconstruction and prior to return to sport. As nearly one-third of athletes who have a primary ACL injury and return to sport will experience a secondary injury, results from the proposed work will allow us to prospectively identify high risk patients who are the most appropriate recipients of enhanced treatment, including targeted training, which may reduce the risk of second ACL injury. Secondary ACL injury has the potential to end athletic careers, promote the development of osteoarthritis, and have debilitating effects on quality of life. Hence, the information gathered in this investigation will offer ACL injured athletes the optimal potential to reduce or potentially prevent these negative health effects before they are initiated. Read Less

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a significant problem for U.S. Hispanic children. Compared to non-Hispanic children, Hispanic children have higher long-term disability and lower health related quality of life, even though differences are not present at hospital discharge. Rehabilitation decreases disability, but needs timely initiation, and long treatments in hospitals, community healthcare facilities and schools. Parents play a key role in their child's recovery. Hispanic parents face additional barriers to initiate and maintain outpatient treatments. They report knowledge gaps in TBI-education, community, and school support systems; language and health literacy barriers. The investigators developed, a bilingual bicultural theory-based program for Hispanic families consisting of Brain Injury Education and outpatient care Navigation (1st BIEN). It integrates in-person education enriched by video content delivered through mobile phones, with navigation during transitions to outpatient care and school return. The pilot established feasibility and acceptability of the program. This randomized control trial will determine efficacy to maintain long-term adherence to rehabilitation and reduce disability. It will enroll 150 parent-child dyads: children (6-17 y), with mild-complicated, moderate-severe TBI in 5 centers in Washington, Texas, Dallas, Utah and Oregon and their parents. Intervention group parents receive: One in-person education session, plus bi-weekly videos tailored to the child's TBI and therapies; and, 3-months of bilingual outpatient care navigation. Attention control parents receive one in person-education session, monthly well-child texts and usual institutional follow up care. Primary outcome is treatment adherence at 6 months post-discharge measured by percentage of follow-up appointments attended during the prescribed time at hospitals, and community care facilities. Secondary outcomes are functional status of the child using PROMIS parental report measures; and parental health literacy, self-efficacy, and mental health at 3, 6, and 12 months after discharge. Child's academic performance will be assessed using school records. The study evaluates a flexible and scalable intervention using mobile phones to aid transitions of care, improve treatment adherence and TBI outcomes. It addresses the needs of an understudied population and can serve as a model for TBI family centered care for at risk groups. Read Less

Respiratory motor control deficit is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with spinal cord injury. The long-term goal of this NIH-funded study is to develop a rehabilitation strategy for respiration in patients with spinal cord injury as a standard of care. Respiratory function in patients with chronic spinal cord injury can be improved by using inspiratory-expiratory pressure threshold respiratory training protocol. However, the effectiveness of this intervention is limited by the levels of functional capacity preserved below the neurological level of injury. Preliminary data obtained for this study demonstrate that electrical spinal cord stimulation applied epidurally at the lumbar level in combination with respiratory training can activate and re-organize spinal motor networks for respiration. This study is designed to investigate respiratory motor control-related responses to epidural spinal cord stimulation alone and in combination with respiratory training. By characterization of respiratory muscle activation patterns using surface electromyography in association with pulmonary functional and respiration-related cardiovascular measures, the investigators expect to determine the specific stimulation parameters needed to increase spinal excitability below level of injury to enhance responses to the input from supraspinal centers that remain after injury and to promote the neural plasticity driven by the respiratory training. This hypothesis will be tested by pursuing two Specific Aims: 1) Evaluate the acute effects of epidural spinal cord stimulation on respiratory functional and motor control properties; and 2) Evaluate the effectiveness of epidural spinal cord stimulation combined with respiratory training. Read Less

Studies across various sports and physical activities have consistently shown that females incur more injuries compared to their male counterparts, but the underlying reasons for this disparity remain poorly understood. While differences in hormone levels between males and females have been speculated to play a role, very little rigorous research has been conducted to directly examine potential connections between sex hormones and injury risk. Specifically, females have been shown to be at greater risk for hand and wrist injuries. The higher injury incidence begins at puberty and persists across the lifespan, suggesting a link to hormonal factors. However, significant gaps remain in understanding the relationships between the menstrual cycle, exogenous hormones from birth control, and risk factors for sports-related injury in females. The purpose of this study is to examine changes in muscle strength and neuromuscular activation among females using monophasic oral contraceptives, females not using oral contraceptives, and males during one week of wrist/hand immobilization. Read Less

This project is a 2-phase, randomized clinical trial that includes 7 days of unilateral leg disuse (Phase 1), immediately followed by 14 days of bilateral leg rehabilitation (Phase 2). The investigators will recruit cohorts of healthy middle-aged men and women to address their aims: Demonstrate the sex-specific effects of skeletal muscle disuse (Phase 1) Identify key molecular determinates of susceptibility of skeletal muscle atrophy (Phase 1) Map the early, sex-specific molecular time-course of rehabilitation (Phase 2) Determine if disused and healthy muscle respond similarly to exercise (Phase 2) Healthy, middle-age men and post-menopausal women (50-65 years) will be recruited from the greater Houston/Galveston area. This under-represented research demographic demonstrate few negative metabolic or phenotypic signs of advanced age, but are at increased risk of being hospitalized and experiencing accelerated loss of lean mass and muscle function that parallels a much older population. The goal of this study is to characterize phenotypic and molecular skeletal muscle changes in middle-aged men and women during critical periods of disuse and rehabilitation and ultimately direct the development of targeted and effective prevention and treatment strategies. Read Less