Den här översättningen är inte klar ännu. Den här sidan är just nu på engelska.

Gå till den engelska sidan

Cure My Disease

Don't miss your cure!

 Log in / Sign up

Belly zaps may speed up bathroom time for spinal injury patients

NCT ID NCT04307303

Symptom relief Sponsor: Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust 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 Results may not be published yet.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This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.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 Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

This study tested whether using a device that electrically stimulates the abdominal muscles can help people with spinal cord injury manage their bowel movements more quickly and comfortably. 36 adults with injuries at or above T12 were randomly assigned to receive real or low-dose (sham) stimulation for 12 weeks. Participants tracked bowel time and completed quality-of-life questionnaires. The goal was to see if this approach could reduce constipation and improve daily bowel care.

What this could mean

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

Active substance
abdominal functional electrical stimulation (ABFES) device
What this could lead to
If it works, this could offer a non-drug way to reduce bowel management time and improve quality of life for people with spinal cord injury.
What could go wrong
This is a small, early proof-of-principle study with only 36 participants. Results may not apply to everyone, and the benefit over sham stimulation is uncertain.

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

36 people

The number who actually took part.

Started

Jul 2021

Finished

Jun 2025

Lead sponsor

A government agency

The lead sponsor is a government body.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Ages

18 to 100 years

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Accepted

You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.

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: * People with a diagnosis of spinal cord injury * Age =\>18 years of age * Injury level at or above T12 * complete or incomplete spinal cord lesion * Medically stable condition * Reflex bowel * =\>1 year post spinal cord injury * Exclusion Criteria: * A history of organic bowel obstruction * Frequent opioid use, * Intrathecal baclofen or percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy * Inflammatory bowel disease * Recent abdominal hernia * Recent gastrointestinal or abdominal surgery * Lower motor neuron lesions, * Suspected strictures or fistulae along the gastrointestinal tract * Physiologic gastrointestinal obstruction. * Other causes of constipation such as hypothyroidism, hypercalcaemia * Constipation predominant irritable bowel syndrome prior to diagnosis of SCI * Involvement in other research trial interventions likely to impact current trial * Poorly controlled epilepsy, * Cardiac pacemaker in situ * Other implanted electrical devices * Pregnancy or pregnancy planned * Cancerous tissue in the abdominal region * Any major skin disorders affecting the abdominal area) * Severe autonomic dysreflexia (tested at initial assessment).

Get updates

Get notified about this study

Sign up to get updates when this study changes or when new studies for Neurogenic bowel are added.

Vår säkerhetsrekommendation!

Genom att skicka in godkänner du våra Användarvillkor

Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

neurogenic bowel spinal cord injury

As listed by the trial registrant

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

Neurogenic bowel

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust

    Salisbury, SP2 9BJ, United Kingdom

More trials for these conditions

Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.