Breathing trick and back zap boost walking after spinal injury
NCT ID NCT03922802
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study tested a new approach to help people with spinal cord injury walk better. Participants received brief sessions of mild low-oxygen air (acute intermittent hypoxia) combined with gentle electrical stimulation on the back, plus walking practice. The goal was to see if this combination improves walking distance and speed more than walking practice alone. The study included 14 adults with spinal cord injury and compared the new method to a sham treatment.
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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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Dec 2020
- Finished
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Jan 2023
- 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.
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: * Participants have been diagnosed with a spinal cord injury below level C2 * ASIA Impairment Scale Grade A-D * Participants are 18 years of age or older * Participants are at least 6 months post spinal cord injury * Participants with paraplegia or tetraplegia secondary to a single spinal cord injury * Participants are able to provide informed consent * Participants are not currently receiving regular physical therapy services Exclusion Criteria: * Individuals less than 18 years of age * Individuals less than 6 months post spinal cord injury * Individuals with ataxia * Individuals with multiple spinal cord injury history * Pregnancy or nursing * Pacemaker or anti-spasticity implantable pumps * Active pressure sores * Unhealed bone fractures * Peripheral neuropathies * Painful musculoskeletal dysfunction due to active injuries or infections * Severe contractures in the lower extremities * Active urinary tract infection * Clinically significant depression, psychiatric disorders, or ongoing drug abuse * Diagnosed with any of the following medical conditions: congestive heart failure, cardiac arrhythmias, uncontrolled hypertension, uncontrolled diabetes mellitus, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, emphysema, severe asthma, previous myocardial infraction, or known carotid/intracerebral artery stenosis * Individuals with a tracheostomy or who utilize mechanical ventilation. * Individuals who are currently enrolled in another interventional research study or in therapy related to upper extremity function. * Participants will be excluded if they have had a botulinum toxin injection to lower extremity musculature within the last 3 months. Participants will need to refrain from lower extremity botulinum toxin injections for the duration of the study. If participants wean off antispasticity medications to successfully complete the responsiveness to AIH screening session, they will need to refrain from the medications for the duration of the study. * Documented sleep apnea. * Orthopedic injuries or surgeries that would impact an individual's ability to use the lower extremity. * Traumatic brain injury or other neurological conditions that would impact the study. * Blood hemoglobin levels less than 10g/dL. We will not include the following populations: * Adults unable to consent, unless accompanied by a legally authorized representative. * Individuals who are not yet adults (infants, children, teenagers) * Pregnant women * Prisoners
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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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Shirley Ryan AbilityLab
Chicago, Illinois, 60611, 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?