Testing electrical vestibular stimulation against a placebo for vestibulopathy
Official title: Therapeutic Effects of Electrical Vestibular Stimulation (EVS) on Balance and Gait
- 2 groups
- Sites in Calgary and Dieppe
- Recruiting
Interventions
- Medical device
electrical vestibular stimulation (EVS)
EVS involves electrically activating the vestibular nerves by passing small electrical currents through electrodes placed on the mastoid processes (behind the ears) via battery powered, constant current isolated stimulators.
- Medical device
Sham Comparator
No current is applied during EVS treatment
Canadian Sites (2)
2 of 2 recruiting
- Recruiting
University of Calgary
Calgary, Alberta
- Recruiting
Sparx Wellness Institute
Dieppe, New Brunswick
Eligibility Criteria
See who this study is looking for5 criteria
The trial’s own eligibility text, word for word from the registry. Only the trial site can say who takes part.
Inclusion
- +Able to complete balance assessments such as standing with feet together/eyes open and feet together/eyes closed, both for at least 1 minute at a time, with no more than 1 minute rest required between tests.
- +Able to complete gait assessment tests such as walking up to 200m on a flat surface without assistance.
Exclusion
- −Participants must not be using a pacemaker, cochlear implant, or any other implanted electronic device.
- −Participants must be free from any diagnosed neurological or musculoskeletal injuries and/or disorders other than those explicitly being investigated (i.e., vertigo, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, concussion).
- −Participants must have the mental capacity to provide consentInformed consentThe process of being told what taking part involves, then choosing freely.Read more → and perform tasks required by the experiment.
In plain language
Assembled directly from this trial’s registry record. Every sentence traces to a field below — nothing here is generated or interpreted.
What this study is
This study is testing a treatment for a condition.
This study is not organised into the usual phase numbers — that is common for device, behavioural, and diagnostic research.
From the trial registry
Built from these fields:
- designModule.designInfo.primaryPurpose
- designModule.phases
Who receives what
There are 2 groups in this study.
Group A receives electrical vestibular stimulation (EVS).
Registry label: A: Electrical vestibular stimulation treatment
Group B, the shamSham procedureA procedure made to feel like the real one, without the active step.Read more → group, receives Sham ComparatorControl groupThe group a new treatment is measured against.Read more →.
Registry label: B: Sham stimulation treatment
From the trial registry
Built from these fields:
- armsInterventionsModule.armGroups[].label
- armsInterventionsModule.armGroups[].type
- armsInterventionsModule.armGroups[].interventionNames
How the study is run
Which group you would be placed in is decided by chance, like a coin flip — not by you and not by your doctor.
One group of people involved — usually the participants — is not told which treatment is which.
From the trial registry
Built from these fields:
- designModule.designInfo.allocation
- designModule.designInfo.maskingInfo.masking
Is there a placebo?
One group receives a sham procedureSham procedureA procedure made to feel like the real one, without the active step.Read more → — one made to feel like the real thing but without the active step.
From the trial registry
Built from these fields:
- armsInterventionsModule.armGroups[].type
- armsInterventionsModule.armGroups[].interventionNames
Who the study is looking for
The study lists an age range of 18 years to 100 years.
The study is open to people of any sex.
The study accepts healthy volunteersHealthy volunteerSomeone without the condition being studied who takes part anyway.Read more → as well as people with the condition.
These are the criteria the study lists. Only the trial siteTrial siteA hospital or clinic where a study is actually run.Read more → can decide whether someone can take part.
From the trial registry
Built from these fields:
- eligibilityModule.minimumAge
- eligibilityModule.maximumAge
- eligibilityModule.sex
- eligibilityModule.healthyVolunteers
How big and how long
The study aims to enrol about 500 people.
The study is currently expected to finish around February 2027.
The main measurement is taken over: From enrollmentEnrolmentThe number of participants a study plans to include, or has included.Read more → through the end of treatment and up to 6 months post treatment.
From the trial registry
Built from these fields:
- designModule.enrollmentInfo.count
- statusModule.completionDateStruct.date
- outcomesModule.primaryOutcomes[].timeFrame
What the study measures
Postural Sway Measure of Balance Performance — measured over From enrollmentEnrolmentThe number of participants a study plans to include, or has included.Read more → through the end of treatment and up to 6 months post treatment.
Sensory Integration Measure of Balance Performance — measured over From enrollment through the end of treatment and up to 6 months post treatment.
Gait Velocity Measure of Gait Performance — measured over From enrollment through the end of treatment and up to 6 months post treatment.
Gait Cadence Measure of Gait Performance — measured over From enrollment through the end of treatment and up to 6 months post treatment.
The study lists 2 further main measurements.
From the trial registry
Built from these fields:
- outcomesModule.primaryOutcomes[].measure
- outcomesModule.primaryOutcomes[].timeFrame
Source: NCT06846047 on ClinicalTrials.gov. The full registry text is further down this page — this summary never replaces it.
Not medical advice. What do these terms mean?
What is being tested — in plain terms
About electrical vestibular stimulation (EVS)Device
EVS involves electrically activating the vestibular nerves by passing small electrical currents through electrodes placed on the mastoid processes (behind the ears) via battery powered, constant current isolated stimulators.
From the trial registry — its own words, unedited.
What a device is here: A physical instrument, implant, app or piece of equipment being studied.
Read the full explanation → · in clinical review
About Sham ComparatorDevice
No current is applied during EVS treatment
From the trial registry — its own words, unedited.
What a device is here: A physical instrument, implant, app or piece of equipment being studied.
Read the full explanation → · in clinical review
Common questions
Answered from this trial’s registry record. Where the record doesn’t say, these answers say so rather than filling the gap.
Am I eligible for this trial?
Only the trial siteTrial siteA hospital or clinic where a study is actually run.Read more → can decide whether someone can take part. Concord cannot make that determination, and neither can any tool that has not examined you.
What the study lists: an age range of 18 years to 100 years.
The full inclusionInclusion criteriaThe things you must have or be for a study to consider you.Read more → and exclusion criteriaExclusion criteriaThe things that would prevent someone from taking part.Read more → are published on this page, exactly as the study team wrote them.
The useful next step is to bring this trial to your doctor. Answering a few questions first gives them something concrete to review.
From the trial registry
- eligibilityModule.minimumAge
- eligibilityModule.maximumAge
- eligibilityModule.eligibilityCriteria
Is there a placebo?
This study includes a shamSham procedureA procedure made to feel like the real one, without the active step.Read more → comparison — a procedure made to feel like the real one, without the active step.
From the trial registry
- armsInterventionsModule.armGroups[].type
Would I know which treatment I am getting?
One group of people involved — usually the participants — is not told which treatment is which.
Which group you would be placed in is decided by chance, like a coin flip — not by you and not by your doctor.
From the trial registry
- designModule.designInfo.maskingInfo.masking
- designModule.designInfo.allocation
Who can join?
The study lists an age range of 18 years to 100 years.
It is open to people of any sex.
It accepts healthy volunteersHealthy volunteerSomeone without the condition being studied who takes part anyway.Read more → as well as people with the condition.
Only the trial siteTrial siteA hospital or clinic where a study is actually run.Read more → can confirm whether a particular person can take part.
From the trial registry
- eligibilityModule.minimumAge
- eligibilityModule.maximumAge
- eligibilityModule.sex
- eligibilityModule.healthyVolunteers
How long would this take?
The study's main measurement is taken over: From enrollmentEnrolmentThe number of participants a study plans to include, or has included.Read more → through the end of treatment and up to 6 months post treatment.
The study as a whole is currently expected to finish around 2027-02-28.
How long any one person takes part can differ from the study length. The study team can tell you what the schedule looks like in practice.
From the trial registry
- outcomesModule.primaryOutcomes[].timeFrame
- statusModule.completionDateStruct.date
How many people are taking part?
The study aims to enrol about 500 people.
From the trial registry
- designModule.enrollmentInfo.count
Where is this happening?
This study lists 2 locations, including: Calgary, Alberta, Canada; Dieppe, New Brunswick, Canada.
Sites can open and close during a study, so confirm with the team before travelling.
From the trial registry
- trial_locations
About This Trial
The aim of the study to is determine the safety, feasibility, efficacy, and persistence of non-invasive EVS to improve balance and gait performance in healthy individuals across the lifespan. Specifically, our objective is to measure balance and gait performance before, during and after exposure to single sessions and across repeated sequences of EVS at multiple study partner sites.
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See if this trial could fit youThis page is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Clinical trial eligibility can only be determined by the trial site after proper screening. Trial information is sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov and may not reflect the most current status. Always consult your healthcare provider before making decisions about clinical trial participation.