Spinal zap + breathing drills may restore lung power after paralysis
NCT ID NCT05178056
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study tests whether a spinal cord stimulator, combined with breathing exercises, can improve respiratory function in people with chronic spinal cord injury. Thirty adults with neck-level injuries will undergo 16 weeks of training while using the device. Researchers will measure changes in breathing strength and muscle activity to see if this combination works better than training alone.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Spinal cord epidural stimulation device
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could lead to a new rehabilitation approach that helps people with spinal cord injury breathe more easily and reduce related health risks.
- What could go wrong
- This is an early-stage study with only 30 participants, so results may not apply to everyone. The device requires surgery, which carries risks like infection or device complications.
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 30 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Dec 2021
- Expected to finish
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Dec 2030
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: * At least 18 years old * Stable medical condition * Non-progressive C3-T1 AIS A-C Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) * Sustained SCI at least 24 months prior to entering the study * At least 15%-deficit in pulmonary function outcomes Exclusion Criteria: * Painful musculo-skeletal dysfunction * Unhealed fracture * Contracture * Pressure sore * Urinary tract infection that might interfere with respiratory training * Clinically significant depression * Psychiatric disorders * Ongoing drug abuse; * Major cardiovascular disease * Major pulmonary disease * Ventilator dependence * Major endocrine disorders * Malignancy * Marked obesity * Deep vein thrombosis * HIV/AIDS related illness * Secondary causes of respiratory dysfunction * Major gastrointestinal problems * Other major medical illness contraindicated for respiratory training * Pregnantcy
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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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Frazier Rehabilitation and Neuroscience Institute
RECRUITINGLouisville, Kentucky, 40202, United States
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