At a glance
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Transspinal Versus Epidural Stimulation for Exoskeletal Assisted Walking After Spinal Cord Injury
In Brief
A Phase 2 clinical trial evaluating EAW+SCES (exoskelton and spinal cord epidural stimulation) and EAW+TS (exoskelton and transspinal stimulation) for Spinal Cord Injury. Completed, enrolled 4 participants across 1 site.
Detailed Summary
Spinal cord injury (SCI) leads to several health-related consequences often linked to reduced levels of physical activity. Direct stimulation of the spinal cord, either through implanted devices or surface stimulation, has been combined with intense physical therapy assisted treadmill walking to facilitate independent standing and stepping. These current methods require 3-4 highly skilled therapists and may not be feasible in all rehabilitation settings, especially when considering the growing number of SCI patients each year. Therefore, the use of robotic exoskeleton suits combined with direct stimulation of the spinal cord (requiring 1-2 therapists) may offer an alternative rehabilitation approach to overcome their limited abilities to stand and walk. Such improvements may also help to reverse or eliminate other health-related consequences associated with SCI. The pilot work will provide the preliminary evidence required to design future clinical trials for Veterans and civilians with SCI to restore overground mobility.
Study Details
Timeline
Interventions
Three months of exoskeleton training followed by 6 months of epidural stimulation.
Three months of exoskeleton training followed by 6 months of transspinal stimulation.