Simple exercises before neck surgery may boost swallowing recovery
NCT ID NCT06520579
First seen Jun 26, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study tests whether doing throat exercises before and after neck surgery helps people swallow and speak better. Fifty adults having anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) will start exercises one week before surgery and continue for six weeks after, with weekly sessions from a speech therapist. Researchers will measure swallowing using video X-rays and patient questionnaires to see if the program makes a difference.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- behavioral intervention (pharyngeal-laryngeal exercises and speech-language pathologist sessions)
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could point toward a simple exercise program to help people recover swallowing and voice function more quickly after neck surgery.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small pilot study with only 50 people, so results may not apply to everyone. The exercises may not improve outcomes more than natural recovery.
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
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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
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About 50 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Oct 2024
- Expected to finish
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Sep 2026
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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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
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21 to 99 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
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Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: 1. Able and willing to sign consent form to participate in the study. 2. Age between 21- 99 years. 3. Scheduled to undergo ACDF surgery with surgeons in the departments of Neurosurgery or Orthopedic Surgery at NYU Langone. Exclusion Criteria: 1. Patients with non-degenerative spine conditions, such as trauma, tumors, infection, radiation, and diabetes. 2. Patients with prior posterior-approach cervical spine procedures. 3. Patients undergoing ACDF revision procedures. 4. Patients who report a pre-existing dysphagia as the result of a neurological deficit or disorder, head and neck cancer treatment, and/or muscular condition. 5. Pregnancy. Female subjects must confirm they are not pregnant before enrolling in the study. 6. Patients with chronic kidney disease, limiting their ability to consume high levels of protein. 7. Patients with known allergies to ingredients listed in Premier Protein Clear drinks.
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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
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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NYU Langone Health
RECRUITINGNew York, New York, 10016, United States
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