Improving Upper Extremity Function and Trunk Stability After Cervical Spinal Cord Injury (SCI): A Randomized Controlled Trial of Three Interventions

Summary

Ninety-nine individuals meeting the study's inclusion/exclusion criteria will be enrolled in this study. The objective of this study is to evaluate three different therapeutic approaches to synergistically retrain functional movement patterns of the upper extremities in combination with trunk stabilization to promote neurologic and functional recovery after SCI. Each subject will complete 40 sessions of intervention. Subjects will also complete a Baseline Evaluation (week 0), Re-Evaluation (week 4), Post Treatment Evaluation (week 8), and a Follow-Up Evaluation (week 12).

Eligibility

Age range

18+ years

Sex

All

Healthy volunteers

No

Interventions

• Behavioral
  FTP Alone

  Participants will be challenged with training speed, weight, limited therapist support, and context variation (e.g., fine motor activities will vary using objects such as cards, dice, coins).

• Behavioral
  FTP+Con-FES

  Participants will be challenged with training speed, weight, limited therapist support, and context variation (e.g., fine motor activities will vary using objects such as cards, dice, coins). Muscle groups will be stimulated at the same time they would be activated naturally in a pre-injury movement pattern utilizing conventional parameter FES.

• Behavioral
  FTP+WPHF-FES

  Participants will be challenged with training speed, weight, limited therapist support, and context variation (e.g., fine motor activities will vary using objects such as cards, dice, coins). Muscle groups will be stimulated at the same time they would be activated naturally in a pre-injury movement pattern utilizing wide pulse, high frequency parameter FES.

Location