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Long Duration Activity and Metabolic Control After Spinal Cord Injury

NCT03139344 · Status: COMPLETED · Phase: NA · Type: INTERVENTIONAL · Enrollment: 89

Last updated 2023-02-16

Study results available
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Summary

Skeletal muscle is the largest endocrine organ in the body, playing an indispensable role in glucose homeostasis. Spinal cord injury (SCI) prevents skeletal muscle from carrying out this important function. Dysregulation of glucose metabolism precipitates high rates of metabolic syndrome, diabetes, and other secondary health conditions (SHCs) of SCI. These SHCs exert a negative influence on health-related quality of life (HRQOL). New discoveries support that a low level of activity throughout the day offers a more effective metabolic stimulus than brief, episodic exercise bouts. The proposed study will translate this emerging concept to the population of individuals with SCI by using low-force, long-duration electrical muscle stimulation to subsidize daily activity levels. Recently, we demonstrated that this type of stimulation up-regulates key genes that foster an oxidative, insulin-sensitive phenotype in paralyzed muscle. We will now test whether this type of activity can improve glucose homeostasis and metabolic function in patients with chronic paralysis. We hypothesize that improvements in metabolic function will be accompanied by a reduction in SHCs and a concomitant improvement in self-reported HRQOL. The long-term goal of this research is to develop a rehabilitation strategy to protect the musculoskeletal health, metabolic function, and health-related quality of life of people living with complete SCI.

Conditions

  • Spinal Cord Injuries

Interventions

OTHER

Low-frequency Exercise

The quadriceps/hamstrings will perform exercise via the application of low-frequency electrical stimulation.

OTHER

High-frequency Exercise

The quadriceps/hamstrings will perform exercise via the application of high-frequency electrical stimulation.

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)

    collaborator NIH

  • Richard K Shields

    lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

  • Richard K Shields, PhD, PT · University of Iowa

Study Design

Allocation
NON_RANDOMIZED
Purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE
Masking
NONE
Model
PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age
18 Years
Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2015-08-01
Primary Completion
2022-04-01
Completion
2022-04-01

Countries

  • United States

Study Locations

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Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT03139344 on ClinicalTrials.gov