Principal Investigator: Rebecca Martin, OTD, OTR/L
More Details: 20 Children between the ages or 6-16 with non-progressive incomplete spinal cord injury who are at least six months’ post injury may join this study. In Aims 1 and 3 your child will be randomized to one of two groups, either the active stimulation group or the sham stimulation group. Group assignments will be placed in sealed envelopes and drawn, at random, on enrollment. Your child has a 1 in 2 chance of receiving active TSCS. They have the same chance of being in the group who receives sham, or fake, TSCS. Transcutaneous Spinal Cord Stimulation (TSCS), TSCS will be applied using an oval electrode placed midline on the skin on your child’s back and two rectangular electrodes placed on the skin over your child’s lower abdomen. In very small children, smaller electrodes will be considered. Your child will receive a small electrical current through those electrodes for 30 minutes. The current can be uncomfortable, but it will be adjusted for your child’s tolerance. Your child will participate in 24 total sessions, 2 sessions will involve assessments only, and 22 sessions will include 2 hours of intensive gait therapy with/without TSCS. Sessions will occur at least 3 times per week, but may be scheduled as many as 5 times per week.
Protocol #: IRB00300695