Virtual illusion therapy may boost arm recovery after spinal cord injury

NCT ID NCT05142943

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Cancelled before anyone took part.

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Approved
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First seen Jul 07, 2026 · Last updated Jul 08, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

This study tests whether watching projected arm movements (visual illusion) combined with physical exercise can improve hand and arm function, sensation, and pain in people with incomplete cervical spinal cord injury. Participants will be assigned to one of four groups: visual illusion plus exercise, placebo plus exercise, visual illusion alone, or placebo alone. The goal is to see if tricking the brain into seeing moving arms can stimulate nerve pathways and enhance recovery.

What this could mean

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

Active substance
Visual illusion therapy (projected arm movements) combined with physical exercise
What this could lead to
If effective, this low-cost approach could improve hand and arm function, reduce pain, and enhance quality of life for people with incomplete spinal cord injury.
What could go wrong
This is a small, early-stage study (80 participants) testing a novel therapy. The visual illusion may not provide meaningful benefits over exercise alone, and results may not apply to all types of spinal cord injury.

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 80 people

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

Started

Nov 2021

Expected to finish

Dec 2026

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 to 99 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: * Incomplete cervical spinal cord injury (AIS C, D or E). * Ability to understand instructions (Mini-Mental State Examination\> 23 points) Exclusion Criteria: * Traumatic pathology in upper limbs. * Other alterations of the central nervous system or peripheral * Alterations in the vestibular system. * Concomitant diseases.

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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

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  1. The places running it

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  2. The official record

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Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Facultat de Fisioteràpia, Universitat de València

    RECRUITING

    Valencia, Valencia, Spain

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