Virtual reality gaming could help people with spinal cord injuries get fit at home
NCT ID NCT06690372
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This pilot study is testing whether a home-based virtual reality exercise program called VR-Move can improve fitness and quality of life in people with spinal cord injuries. Sixteen participants will use the VR system three times a week for 12 weeks. The goal is to provide an accessible, low-cost exercise option that helps reduce the risk of heart disease and other health problems linked to inactivity.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- virtual reality exercise program (VR-Move)
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could provide an accessible, fun way for people with spinal cord injuries to exercise at home and reduce their risk of heart disease.
- What could go wrong
- This is a very small pilot study with only 16 participants, so results may not apply to everyone. The program is still being developed and may not be widely available soon.
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 16 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Expected to start
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Jul 2026
An estimate. Start dates often move.
- Expected to finish
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Aug 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: * be low risk for developing a cardiovascular event during vigorous exercise according to ACSM * be at least 18 years of age;• * ASIA level A-D; * wheelchair use for at least 75% of community mobility (non-ambulatory); * report low amounts of physical activity as determined by the Physical Activity Scale for Individuals with Physical Disabilities (PASIPD). Participants whose combined scores for item 3 (moderate sport or recreation) and 4 (strenuous sport or recreation) ≤10 MET hours per week, will be considered physically inactive. Exclusion Criteria: * consistent or activity-exacerbated upper extremity pain of at least 4/10; * angina or myocardial infarction within the last year, or other major barriers to upper-extremity exercise; * inability to elevate arms above 45°, * significant spasticity * complete upper extremity impairment.
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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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Drexel University Health Science Building
RECRUITINGPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania, 19104, United States
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
- Can imagining exercise boost brain power after spinal cord injury?
- Spinal implant aims to restore bladder control after paralysis
- Can virtual walking trick the brain into easing chronic pain?
- Spinal fluid antibody shots tested for fresh spinal cord injuries
- Mind over matter: can a brain implant restore hand control?
- Mind over matter: can a wireless brain implant restore control for the paralyzed?