Early rehab after spine surgery: could two weeks be better than six?
NCT ID NCT07636135
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Aug 07, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study looks at whether starting physical therapy two weeks after cervical spine surgery helps adults with degenerative myelopathy recover walking, balance, and strength better than waiting six weeks. Twenty participants will be randomly assigned to start rehab at either two or six weeks after surgery, attending twice-weekly sessions for eight weeks. Researchers will measure walking speed, endurance, balance, and quality of life over several months to see if earlier rehab is both feasible and more effective.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Physical therapy (task-specific exercises for strength, balance, and walking)
- What this could lead to
- If earlier rehab works, it could lead to faster and better recovery of walking and balance after spinal surgery for myelopathy.
- What could go wrong
- This is a very small early feasibility study with only 20 people, so results may not apply to everyone. Starting rehab too early might also cause discomfort or setbacks.
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 20 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Jul 2026
- 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 years and older
- 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: * adult (\>18 years of age) with diagnosis of degenerative cervical myelopathy, within 2 weeks of spinal decompression surgery * plan to be discharged home from acute care (i.e., not admitted to another facility for post-operative rehabilitation) * able to stand with a maximum of one-person assist (+/- use of gait aid) * persistent functional impairment in lower extremity strength, balance, coordination, and/or gait * ability to attend an 8-week in-person rehabilitation program in Edmonton, Alberta Exclusion Criteria: * discharge from acute care facility \> 2 weeks post-operative * intra-operative or early post-operative complication delaying discharge or precluding participation in early rehabilitation
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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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University of Alberta
RECRUITINGEdmonton, Alberta, T6G2G4, Canada
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