Could your breath help your hand? new device aims to ease stroke spasticity
NCT ID NCT04750551
First seen Jun 24, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This pilot study tests a device called BreEStim that uses breathing to control electrical stimulation of hand muscles. Four people who had a stroke at least 6 months ago and have moderate hand tightness will try one session. The goal is to see if it reduces finger stiffness and improves hand function.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- BreEStim (breathing-controlled electrical stimulation device)
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could point toward a new way to help stroke survivors regain hand function and reduce muscle tightness without drugs.
- What could go wrong
- This is a very early pilot study with only 4 participants and a single session of treatment. Results may not apply to others, and the device may not provide lasting benefits.
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 4 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Nov 2025
- Expected to finish
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Dec 2027
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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18 to 75 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.
Show the full entry requirements Hide 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: * has post stroke ≥ 6 months , medically stable; * Unilateral, single stroke (no restriction on type (ischemic or hemorrhagic) or volume (large or small) of stroke); * MAS score ≥ 1, i.e., detectable finger flexor hypertonia; Exclusion criteria include: * Patients with visual deficit/neglect; hearing or cognitive impairment; * Patients with history of pulmonary disease (Asthma, chronic obstruction pulmonary disease, COPD); * Patients that are currently adjusting tone alternating medications (e.g., baclofen), or * Patients received botulinum toxin injection to the arm/fingers \<4 months, or phenol injections \< 2 years; * Patients with a pacemaker; * Women who are pregnant.
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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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The University of Texas Health Science Center
RECRUITINGHouston, Texas, 77030, United States
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
- A wearable ankle robot may boost walking recovery after stroke
- Virtual reality rehab aims to bring stroke therapy home
- Which balance training works better after stroke? a trial puts two methods to the test
- Could a cuff and a tingle restore leg strength after stroke?
- Can gentle electrical pulses reawaken hand movement after stroke?
- Can foot sensation predict balance problems in stroke survivors?