Spinal zaps + robotic steps: a new hope for walking after injury?

NCT ID NCT04807764

NEW Completed Disease control Sponsor: City University of New York Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

First seen Aug 18, 2026 · Last updated Aug 18, 2026

Summary

This study tests whether applying noninvasive electrical stimulation to the spinal cord before robotic gait training can improve walking recovery in people with motor-incomplete spinal cord injury. Participants receive 40 sessions of either standing or lying stimulation followed by assisted stepping, with brain and spinal cord function measured before and after. The goal is to see if this priming approach enhances the benefits of locomotor training.

What this could mean

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

Active substance: Noninvasive high-frequency transcutaneous spinal stimulation (transspinal stimulation) followed by robotic gait training
What this could lead to: If effective, this approach could enhance walking recovery and improve quality of life for people with spinal cord injury.
What could go wrong: The trial is small (14 participants) and early-stage, so results may not apply broadly. Stimulation may not produce meaningful gains, and individual responses can vary.

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

hereditary spastic paraplegia paraplegia quadriplegia spinal cord injury

As listed by the trial registrant

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

PARAPLEGIA, SPASTIC PARAPLEGIA, SPINAL SPINAL CORD INJURIES TETRAPLEGIA/TETRAPARESIS

Contacts and locations

Locations

Department of Physical Therapy, Motor Control and NeuroRecovery Laboratory

Staten Island, New York, 10314, United States
Veterans Affairs Medical Center

The Bronx, New York, 10468, United States

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