Virtual walking therapy tested for spinal cord injury pain
NCT ID NCT06330181
First seen Jun 24, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study tests whether playing a virtual reality walking game at home can reduce neuropathic pain in adults with incomplete spinal cord injury. Participants will use a headset to see virtual legs and walk in a virtual world for about 30 minutes twice daily over 10 days. The goal is to see if this approach lowers pain intensity and improves pain quality.
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 walking game
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could offer a drug-free way to ease chronic neuropathic pain after spinal cord injury.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-stage study with only 48 people. The pain relief may be modest or not last, and results may not apply to everyone with spinal cord injury.
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 48 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Dec 2024
- Expected to finish
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Jan 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: The study will recruit individuals with incomplete injury (American Spinal Injury Association \[ASIA\] classification B, C, or D) with lumbar, paraplegic, or low tetraplegic (C5-C7) injury. Additional criteria will include: 1. Must have persistent NP symptoms that are of daily severity of at least 4/10 for 3 or more months 2. Must endorse more than 2 items on a 7-item Spinal Cord Injury Pain Instrument, SCIPI 3. Must be 18 years of age or older 4. Must be more than one and a half years post-injury to begin study (can be screened at an earlier time for eligibility) 5. Must have mobile connectivity with usable service 6. Must be stable on pain medication for 1 or more months 7. Must be cleared on the VRWalk physical activity clearance scale 8. Must not have motion sickness that interferes with daily life 9. Must use a wheelchair at least 75% of the time Exclusion Criteria: 1. Individuals with Injury levels between C1 and C4 2. Individuals under the age of 18 3. Individuals who were injured within the past year 4. Individuals who cannot comprehend spoken English 5. Individuals who are in prison 6. Individuals who are blind 7. Individuals who experience severe motion sickness
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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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Texas A&M University
RECRUITINGCollege Station, Texas, 77843, 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
- Scientists map the daily rhythms of chronic pain
- 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?