Could low oxygen boost walking recovery in spinal cord injury?
NCT ID NCT06521723
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study is for adults aged 18–80 with chronic spinal cord injury who can already walk a little. It combines short periods of breathing low oxygen, spinal cord stimulation, and walking practice to see if it helps them walk better. The goal is to improve walking speed and endurance over several treatment sessions.
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Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 60 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Jun 2025
- Expected to finish
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Sep 2028
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 to 80 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * 18 to 80 years of age * medically stable with medical clearance from study physician to participate * SCI at or below C1 and at or above L2 with at least some sensory or motor function preserved below the neurologic level * non-progressive etiology of spinal injury * American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) scores of C-D at initial screen * ambulatory (able to complete the 10-meter walk test without support from another person) * chronic injury (define as \> 12 months post-injury) to avoid potential for spontaneous neurological plasticity and recovery Exclusion Criteria: * severe concurrent illness or pain, including unhealed decubiti, severe neuropathic or chronic pain syndrome, severe infection (e.g., urinary tract), hypertension, cardiovascular disease, pulmonary disease, severe osteoporosis, active heterotopic ossification in the lower extremities, severe systemic inflammation * \< 24 on Mini-Mental Exam * severe recurrent autonomic dysreflexia * history of severe cardiovascular/pulmonary complications including hypertension (systolic blood pressure \> 150 mmHg) * pregnancy because of unknown effects of AIH or tSTIM on a fetus (individuals of childbearing potential will not otherwise be excluded) * botulinum toxin injections in lower extremity muscles within the prior three months * history of tendon or nerve transfer surgery in the lower extremity * untreated severe sleep-disordered breathing characterized by uncontrolled hypoxia and sleep fractionation that may impact the outcome of this study. * active implanted devices (e.g., intrathecal baclofen pump) * receiving concurrent electrical stimulation * motor threshold evoked by transcutaneous spinal stimulation \>200 mA
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
2 sites. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Brooks Rehabilitation Hospital
RECRUITINGJacksonville, Florida, 32216, United States
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Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital
RECRUITINGCambridge, Massachusetts, 02128, United States
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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- Video diet coaching may cut heart risks after spinal cord injury