Comparing 4 approaches for spinal cord injuries (SCI)
Official title: Transcutaneous Spinal Electrical Stimulation to Improve Exercise Function After Spinal Cord Injury.
- 4 groups
- One site, in Winnipeg
- Recruiting
Interventions
- Other intervention
Transcutaneous spinal electrical stimulation (TSES)
TSES will typically involve constant current rectangular pulse bipolar stimulation delivered at 20 Hz with stimulation durations of 900 microseconds delivered at or slightly above motor threshold.
Canadian Sites (1)
1 of 1 recruiting
- Recruiting
University of Manitoba
Winnipeg, Manitoba
Eligibility Criteria
See who this study is looking for19 criteria
The trial’s own eligibility text, word for word from the registry. Only the trial site can say who takes part.
Inclusion
- +traumatic or non-traumatic spinal cord injury
- +Spinal cord injury of at least one year duration, C5 or lower, AIS A - D
- +medically stable and healthy enough to engage in and complete exercise requirements
- +willing and able to complete the exercise protocols and testing requirements
- +able to understand and follow written and verbal instructions from study staff
- +able to communicate with study staff about their exercise capabilities and preferences
Exclusion
- −current serious injury (ies) of the upper extremities
- −known cardiovascular disease
- −unsatisfactory results of EKG screeningScreeningThe checks done before joining, to see whether a study fits.Read more →
- −implanted electronic cardiac devices (e.g., pacemaker, defibrillator, etc.)
- −current pressure ulcer(s)
- −morbid obesity
- −known thyroid dysfunction
- −current cancer
- −current uncontrolled high blood pressure
- −uncontrolled epilepsy
- −current deep vein thrombosis
- −ventilator dependency
- −cognitive impairment
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 investigating how something functions in the body, rather than testing a treatment directly.
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 4 groups in this study.
Groups A, B, C and D receive Transcutaneous spinal electrical stimulation (TSES).
Registry label: A: Upper body exercise in participants with tetraplegia · B: Upper body exercise in participants with paraplegia · C: Upper body exercise in reference control participants · D: Rhythmic lower limb neuromuscular electrical stimulation evoked exercise
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.
Neither you nor the study team would know which group you are in until the study ends.
From the trial registry
Built from these fields:
- designModule.designInfo.allocation
- designModule.designInfo.maskingInfo.masking
Is there a placebo?
This study does not list a placeboPlaceboA dummy treatment with no active medicine, used for comparison.Read more → group.
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 70 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 40 people.
The study is currently expected to finish around October 2026.
The main measurement is taken over: During individual study visits lasting between 1 and 2.5 hours.
From the trial registry
Built from these fields:
- designModule.enrollmentInfo.count
- statusModule.completionDateStruct.date
- outcomesModule.primaryOutcomes[].timeFrame
What the study measures
Oxygen uptake — measured over During individual study visits lasting between 1 and 2.5 hours.
Perceived Exertion — measured over Tested intermittently during individual voluntary exercise study visits lasting between 1 and 2.5 hours.
Time to fatigue during incremental exercise tests to fatigue — measured over Time to fatigue will be monitored during study visits lasting between 1 and 2.5 hours.
Heart rate — measured over During exercise testing study visits, lasting between 1 and 3 hours.
The study lists 1 further main measurements.
From the trial registry
Built from these fields:
- outcomesModule.primaryOutcomes[].measure
- outcomesModule.primaryOutcomes[].timeFrame
Source: NCT07692191 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 Transcutaneous spinal electrical stimulation (TSES)Other
TSES will typically involve constant current rectangular pulse bipolar stimulation delivered at 20 Hz with stimulation durations of 900 microseconds delivered at or slightly above motor threshold.
From the trial registry — its own words, unedited.
What a other is here: An intervention the registry did not place in another category.
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 70 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 does not list a placeboPlaceboA dummy treatment with no active medicine, used for comparison.Read more → group.
From the trial registry
- armsInterventionsModule.armGroups[].type
Would I know which treatment I am getting?
Neither you nor the study team would know which group you are in until the study ends.
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 70 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: During individual study visits lasting between 1 and 2.5 hours.
The study as a whole is currently expected to finish around 2026-10.
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 40 people.
From the trial registry
- designModule.enrollmentInfo.count
Where is this happening?
This study lists one location: Winnipeg, Manitoba, 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
Our overall objective is to decrease the prevalence of multiple sedentary-related diseases that are secondary consequences of spinal cord injury (SCI). SCI affects motor, sensory and autonomic systems and can cause very limited exercise capacity which then leads to very high rates of obesity, metabolic syndrome, type II diabetes and cardiovascular disease. This randomized controlled study aims to determine whether and how transcutaneous spinal electrical stimulation (TSES) alters acute (immediate) exercise responses in people living with SCI. Exercise responses will be tested during incremental tests to fatigue, and during steady state tests. Testing will occur over several study visits and results will be compared within each individual as well as between groups (tetraplegia and paraplegia) and to a group of reference controls. A number of outcomes will be monitored, including whole-body metabolic responses using a metabolic cart, muscle responses using EMG sensors and muscle oxygenation using near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) sensors, time to fatigue, power output, as well as perceptions about fatigue and effort. The findings of this study are expected to provide evidence regarding whether and how TSES might improve acute exercise responses in people living with SCI.
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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.