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Zapping the spine: a new hope for kids with paralysis?

NCT ID NCT03975634

Symptom relief Sponsor: University of Louisville Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

This study's is highlighted.

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
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed This study
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 Results may not be published yet.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This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.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 Sep 11, 2026 · Last updated Sep 11, 2026

Summary

Children with spinal cord injury often struggle to sit upright because their trunk muscles are paralyzed. Researchers are testing a device that sends electrical pulses through the skin to the spinal cord, called transcutaneous spinal stimulation, to see if it can improve sitting control. The study will first check the immediate safety and comfort of the stimulation in a small group of children, then combine it with activity-based locomotor training in a few participants to see if it helps over time.

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 device that delivers electrical pulses through the skin to the spinal cord
What this could lead to
If it works, this could offer a non-surgical way to help children with spinal cord injury gain better trunk control and sitting balance.
What could go wrong
The study is very small, with only a handful of children, and it mainly checks safety and whether the approach is practical. It may not show clear benefits, and the stimulation could cause skin irritation or discomfort.

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

9 people

The number who actually took part.

Started

Aug 2019

Finished

Jun 2022

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

2 to 15 years

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: * history of chronic, acquired upper motor neuron SCI (traumatic or non-traumatic); * discharged from in-patient rehabilitation * moderate to severe trunk control deficit as either documented with the Segmental Assessment of Trunk Control (SATCo, score \< 15/20) or reported/observed inability to sit fully upright and without use of arm support * history of completion of a minimum of 60 sessions of activity-based locomotor training/therapy at Frazier Rehab Exclusion Criteria: * botox use within past 3 months; * current baclofen use * unhealed fracture * any other medical complication limiting participation in the assessments and/or activity-based locomotor training; * prior surgery for scoliosis; * congenital SCI * total ventilator dependence

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

spinal cord injury

As listed by the trial registrant

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

Spinal cord injuries

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Kentucky Spinal Cord Injury Res Center, University of Louisville

    Louisville, Kentucky, 40202, United States

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