Spinal zaps + robotic steps: a new hope for walking after injury?
NCT ID NCT04807764
First seen Aug 18, 2026 · Last updated Aug 19, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study tests whether applying noninvasive electrical stimulation to the spinal cord before robotic gait training can improve walking recovery in people with motor-incomplete spinal cord injury. Participants receive 40 sessions of either standing or lying stimulation followed by assisted stepping, with brain and spinal cord function measured before and after. The goal is to see if this priming approach enhances the benefits of locomotor training.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Noninvasive high-frequency transcutaneous spinal stimulation (transspinal stimulation) followed by robotic gait training
- What this could lead to
- If effective, this approach could enhance walking recovery and improve quality of life for people with spinal cord injury.
- What could go wrong
- The trial is small (14 participants) and early-stage, so results may not apply broadly. Stimulation may not produce meaningful gains, and individual responses can vary.
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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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14 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Aug 2021
- Finished
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Dec 2024
- 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 70 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: * Willingness to comply with all study procedures and availability for the duration of the study. * Ability to understand the consent form, and sign the consent form. * Male or female, age 18-70 years old. * In good general health as evidenced by medical history. * Diagnosed with motor incomplete SCI (AIS C-D). * Bone mineral density of the hip (proximal femur) T-score \<3.5 SD from age- and gender-matched normative data. * Lesion above thoracic (T) 10 to ensure absent lower motoneuron lesion. * Presence of tendon reflexes to be able to elicit the soleus H-reflex. * Absent permanent ankle joint contractures that prevent passive or active ankle movement because corticospinal and spinal excitability is based on the ankle angle. The ankle straps of the Lokomat require also flexible ankle joints. * A diagnosis of first time SCI due to trauma, vascular, or orthopedic pathology. * Time after SCI of more than 6 months. * Stable medical condition without cardiopulmonary disease or cognitive impairment. Exclusion Criteria: * Supraspinal lesions. * Significant neuropathies of the peripheral nervous system. * Significant degenerative neurological disorders of the spine or spinal cord. * AIS A or B. * Presence of pressure sores. * Advanced urinary tract infection. * Neoplastic or vascular disorders of the spine or spinal cord. * Participation in an ongoing research study or new rehabilitation program. * Pregnant women or women who suspect they may be, or may become pregnant will be excluded from participation because the risks of thoracolumbar stimulation to the fetus are unknown. * People with cochlear implants, pacemaker, implanted infusion device, and/or implanted stimulators of any type and purpose will be excluded to avoid their malfunction due to stimulation. * People with history of seizures. * Medical conditions that increase the possibility of seizures. * Medications that may change the seizure threshold.
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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.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Department of Physical Therapy, Motor Control and NeuroRecovery Laboratory
Staten Island, New York, 10314, United States
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Veterans Affairs Medical Center
The Bronx, New York, 10468, United States
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
- Serotonin precursor probed for spinal cord injury effects
- Breathing brief Low-Oxygen bursts may boost sleep apnea treatment
- Pure oxygen tested as a switch for dormant nerves after spinal cord injury
- Spinal stimulation tested to help kids with spinal cord injuries sit taller
- Zapping the spine: a new hope for kids with paralysis?
- Can painless spinal zaps teach injured kids to walk again?