Spinal Stimulation With Gait Training to Improve Lower Limbs Motor Recovery in Spinal Cord Injury
Key facts
- Where
- Montreal, CanadaSee the site
Where in Canada
- Institut de réadaptation Gingras-Lindsay-de-Montréal (IRGLM)Montreal, CanadaContact: Dorothy Barthelemy, pht, PhDNo longer taking part
Questions to ask the study team
- How often do I need to come in, and for how long each time?
- Are travel costs paid?
- Can I keep my own doctor?
- What happens if I want to stop?
Contact the study team: see the registry record → Contacts and Locations
Print a page for my doctorTrial details
- Who runs it
- Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Rehabilitation of Greater Montreal
- Trial code
- NCT07375745
- Record updated
- 12 November 2026
- Original description
Spinal cord injury (SCI) often results in partial or complete loss of movement. In the subacute phase (< 6 months), the central nervous system shows increased potential for neuroplasticity, making it more responsive to rehabilitation and external stimulation. Standard care in rehabilitation centers relies on activity-based therapy (ABT), which uses intensive, task-specific training to promote recovery. Although ABT can improve mobility, its effects are often limited due to the nature of SCI and the indirect activation of neural circuits.Read full original descriptionShow less
Combined Gait Training and Transcutaneous Spinal Cord Stimulation to Enhance Lower Limbs Motor Recovery After Subacute SCI
Spinal cord injury (SCI) often results in partial or complete loss of movement. In the subacute phase (< 6 months), the central nervous system shows increased potential for neuroplasticity, making it more responsive to rehabilitation and external stimulation. Standard care in rehabilitation centers relies on activity-based therapy (ABT), which uses intensive, task-specific training to promote recovery. Although ABT can improve mobility, its effects are often limited due to the nature of SCI and the indirect activation of neural circuits.
Recent findings suggest that adding transcutaneous spinal cord stimulation (tSCS) to ABT in chronic SCI (> 12 months) can enhance lower-limb motor recovery. This study will evaluate whether combining tSCS with gait training is safe and feasible in individuals with subacute SCI and whether it improves lower-limb motor outcomes compared with gait training alone.
The investigators hypothesize that pairing gait training with tSCS early after injury will be safe and feasible and that tSCS delivered during gait training will augment leg muscle activation and lead to greater functional improvements. The study will also assess the feasibility, safety and tolerability of implementing this combined intervention in a intensive functional rehabilitation setting.
Inclusion: paraplegic or quadriplegic participants with a subacute spinal cord injury (sSCI), defined as the stage of spinal cord damage occuring between 1 week and 6 months post-injury; above 16 years old; have a lesion between C1 - L5; be considered as AIS A to D; be able to stay at least 10 minutes standing with or without assistance; can provide informed consent (no cognitive deficits by MoCA); be able to follow instructions in French or English.
Exclusion: pharmacology or implants that may impede with rehabilitation or spinal stimulation; active cancer on stimulation site or metastatic cancer; participants with specific contraindications to TMS (epilepsy, non-union cranial fracture and increased intracranial pressure) will be able to participate in the study, but will not receive TMS; pacemaker; unhealed wound, scar or pain which makes positioning of the electrodes impossible; chronic and severe neuropathic pain; pregnancy; active thrombophlebitis.