Transcutaneous Spinal Electrical Stimulation to Improve Exercise Function After Spinal Cord Injury.
For patients and families
In plain language
An automatic summary of structured registry data. It is an orientation aid, not a substitute for the official protocol or a physician assessment.
- What is being studied
- The protocol lists: Transcutaneous spinal electrical stimulation (TSES).
- Who it may be relevant to
- Registry conditions: Spinal Cord Injuries (SCI), Spinal Cord Injury, Spinal Injury. Basic parameters: 18 years — 70 years · All.
- What needs checking
- Age, condition and sex are only basic indicators. Prior treatment, laboratory values and other mandatory requirements appear in the eligibility criteria below.
- Where it takes place
- Canada
- Next step
- Save the trial, show it to the treating physician, and confirm current recruitment with the study center. Costs, documents and travel →
Unsure about the terms? Read our patient guide →
Overview
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.
Detailed description
It is well understood that SCI causes motor paralysis and sensory loss. However, it is the loss of autonomic regulation that confers the greatest morbidity to those living with SCI. Impaired exercise responses, including limited peak HR, oxygen uptake, limited catecholamine related to impaired activation of spinal sympathetic autonomic systems. Depending upon level of injury, and these sub-optimal exercise responses, there are limited exercise training effects which then leads to a calorie excess and related weight gain, cardiovascular, skeletal muscle and metabolic deconditioning that eventually causes obesity, type II diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
These sedentary-related diseases likely result in large part, because of inadequate activation of these tissues with sufficient duration or intensity to result in training effects. Therefore, we are interested in identifying means to improve acute exercise responses, with an ultimate goal of improving training responses and reducing the incidence of and/or trajectory of developing these sedentary-related diseases in individuals with SCI.
TSES has recently emerged as a potential therapeutic method to improve exercise responses. In case studies it has been shown to increase peak responses and time to fatigue during arm ergometry exercise tests.
This study is designed as a prospective, single-center, randomized controlled trial to examine whether and how TSES might alter exercise responses in two groups of people with SCI (tetraplegia and paraplegia) and a reference control group from the general population. The study is designed to assess within individual and between-group responses for a variety of outcome measures during peak and steady-state exercise tests. Study visits occur over several weeks for each participant, according to each person's time and convenience availability.
Outcomes are assessed during exercise with and without TSES in the following 4 experimental conditions:
1. Comparing peak incremental tests to voluntary upper body exercise fatigue with or without TSES. 2. Comparing steady state exercise responses performed at 40-45% peak power output with or without TSES. 3. Comparing time to fatigue during neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) evoked rhythmic leg contractions with or without TSES.
The primary hypothesis is that TSES will improve a variety of exercise outcomes under different experimental testing conditions and that those with tetraplegia will benefit most.
The results of this study are expected to contribute to whether and how TSES might alter acute exercise responses in those living with SCI.
The results of this study are expected to contribute to the evidence base regarding the effectiveness of TSES to alter peak and steady-state exercise responses in people with SCI and may support its integration into standard exercise training or competitive sport protocols for individuals with SCI.
Interventions
- Other 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.
Primary outcome measures
- Oxygen uptake [Time frame: During individual study visits lasting between 1 and 2.5 hours]
- Perceived Exertion [Time frame: Tested intermittently during individual voluntary exercise study visits lasting between 1 and 2.5 hours]
- Time to fatigue during incremental exercise tests to fatigue [Time frame: Time to fatigue will be monitored during study visits lasting between 1 and 2.5 hours.]
- Heart rate [Time frame: During exercise testing study visits, lasting between 1 and 3 hours]
- Power output [Time frame: During exercise in study visits lasting 1 to 3 hours.]
Secondary outcome measures (1)
- Muscle tissue oxygen saturation levels [Time frame: Oxygen saturation levels will be assessed during study visits lasting between 1 and 2.5 hours.]
Eligibility criteria
Inclusion criteria
- 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 criteria
- current serious injury (ies) of the upper extremities
- known cardiovascular disease
- unsatisfactory results of EKG screening
- 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
Criteria are shown verbatim from the registry (in English). Final eligibility is always assessed by the study center.
Healthy volunteers: Yes
Study design
- Allocation
- Randomized
- Model
- Crossover
- Masking
- Double blind
- Primary purpose
- Basic science
Study locations
Canada · 1 center
- University of Manitoba — Winnipeg
Identifiers
NCT: NCT07692191 · HS26003