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Spinal stimulation tested to help kids with spinal cord injuries sit taller

NCT ID NCT05091463

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 Results may not be published yet.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This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.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

Researchers at the University of Louisville are testing whether combining activity-based locomotor training with non-invasive spinal stimulation can improve sitting posture and trunk control in children with chronic spinal cord injuries. The trial enrolls 14 children, ages 3 to 12, who have had a spinal cord injury for more than a year and cannot walk. Participants receive 60 sessions of therapy that pair a 5-channel stimulator with physical training, and researchers measure changes in trunk control and reaching ability.

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 using a 5-channel stimulator
What this could lead to
If it works, this could offer a non-surgical way to help children with spinal cord injuries gain better sitting balance and trunk control, which may make daily activities easier.
What could go wrong
The study is very small, with only 14 children, and it is an early test. The stimulation may not improve trunk control beyond what training alone achieves, and results may not apply to all children with spinal cord injuries.

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

14 people

The number who actually took part.

Started

Aug 2021

Finished

Oct 2025

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

3 to 12 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: * Chronic (\> 1 year since injury), Acquired Upper motor Neuron injury (T10 and above) * Discharged from in-patient rehabilitation * Moderate to severe trunk control deficit as assessed by the Segmental Assessment of Trunk Control (SATCo, score \<16/20) OR unable to fully sit upright while lifting their arms or reaching outside of their base of support while maintaining posture * Novice to activity-based locomotor training and transcutaneous spinal stimulation Exclusion Criteria: * Botox use within the past 3 months * Current oral baclofen use and unwillingness or unable to wean under medical guidance * Baclofen pump use * Musculoskeletal impairment limiting range of motion, unhealed fracture, or other medical complication limiting participation * Prior surgery for scoliosis * Unwillingness to wean from the use of thoraco-lumbosacral orthosis (TLSO) during study * Spina Bifida as etiology of spinal cord injury

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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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