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Spinal zaps may calm muscle spasms after injury

NCT ID NCT07792616

Symptom relief Sponsor: University of Mississippi Medical Center Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

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Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing This study
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Aug 28, 2026 · Last updated Aug 28, 2026

Summary

This study tests a non-surgical method called transcutaneous spinal stimulation, which sends a mild electrical current through the skin on the lower back and abdomen to activate nerves in the spinal cord. Adults with a spinal cord injury who have leg stiffness or spasms will receive the stimulation at two different rates, and also take a single dose of a muscle relaxant (tizanidine or baclofen) or a placebo, to see how these approaches compare. Researchers will measure leg reflexes, muscle activity, and knee movement to see if the stimulation can reduce spasticity, either alone or combined with medication.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance
Transcutaneous spinal stimulation, a non-invasive electrical current applied through surface electrodes on the lower back and abdomen
What this could lead to
If it works, this could offer a non-drug option to ease muscle stiffness and spasms after spinal cord injury, possibly reducing reliance on oral medications with side effects.
What could go wrong
This is a small, early-stage study with 12 participants, so results may not apply broadly. The stimulation is short-term, and its effects may not last or may not beat placebo.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Phase

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

About 12 people

The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.

Started

Jul 2022

Expected to finish

Jul 2027

An estimate. End dates often move.

Lead sponsor

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

18 years and older

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

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

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: * Age 18 years or older * History of spinal cord injury (ASIA Impairment Scale grades A-D) * Time since injury longer than six months * The presence of at least mild spasticity (\>3) in the lower limbs, as self-reported on the Numerical Rating Scale of spasticity severity from 0 (no spasticity) to 10 (spasticity as bad as you can imagine) * Agreement to reduce antispastic medication, if needed Exclusion Criteria: * Neurological level of SCI below T11 * Ventilatory-dependent * Suspected progression of SCI (e.g., syringomyelia) * Rigidity, contraction, or passive range of motion of \<40 deg in both knee joint * Systolic blood pressure at rest \<90 mm Hg * Implanted active devices (e.g., ITB pumps) * Passive implants (plates, screws) between T10 and L3 vertebras * Skin conditions precluding placement of electrodes * Skin breakdown on their sacrum, ischii or lower extremities * Ongoing infections * Pregnancy * Difficulty following instructions * Other medical risks/contraindications as determined by the study physicians.

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

Muscle Hypertonia Muscle Spasticity Spasm spinal cord injury

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Muscle hypertonia Muscle spasm Muscle spasticity Spasm Spasticity Spinal cord injuries Spinal cord injuries (complete and incomplete) Spinal cord injury Spinal cord injury cervical Spinal cord injury thoracic

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Methodist Rehabilitation

    Jackson, Mississippi, 39216, United States

  • University of Mississippi Medical Center

    Jackson, Mississippi, 39216, United States

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