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Ultrasound for Quantifying Muscle Activation Elicited by Spinal Cord Stimulation and Functional Electrical Stimulation

NCT07206797 · Status: RECRUITING · Phase: NA · Type: INTERVENTIONAL · Enrollment: 30

Last updated 2025-10-14

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

Transcutaneous (non-invasive) spinal cord stimulation (tSCS) has been shown to facilitate volitional motor activity in patients with spinal cord injury. tSCS is known to activate the same neural structures as invasive SCS, meaning it may have the potential for functional restoration without an expensive surgical implant. Functional electrical stimulation (FES) is also used in therapy for patients with spinal cord injury to locally activate paralyzed or weakened muscles. There is evidence that combining FES and tSCS may elicit greater muscle activation than either modality alone.

The objective of this study is to quantify the torque at the ankle joint generated by tSCS, by FES, and by tSCS + FES. Additionally, ultrasound images will be collected during stimulation to provide a metric of muscle activity. The correlation between ultrasound and torque will be assessed to determine if ultrasound is a useful modality for quantifying tSCS-elicited muscle activity.

Conditions

  • Neuromodulatory Effects of TSCS and FES in Lower Limbs

Interventions

DEVICE

Functional Electrical Stimulation

Functional electrical stimulation will be applied to the ankle muscles. The resulting torque will be collected, and ultrasound data will be obtained during stimulation.

DEVICE

Transcutaneous (Non-Invasive) Spinal Cord Stimulation

Non-invasive spinal cord stimulation will be applied. The resulting torque data will be collected, and ultrasound data will be obtained during stimulation.

DEVICE

Ultrasound

Ultrasound data will be collected from the shin muscles during FES and tSCS.

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

    collaborator OTHER

  • North Carolina State University

    lead OTHER

Study Design

Allocation
NA
Purpose
OTHER
Masking
NONE
Model
SINGLE_GROUP

Eligibility

Min Age
18 Years
Max Age
60 Years
Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2025-06-01
Primary Completion
2026-06-01
Completion
2026-06-01

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 NCT07206797 on ClinicalTrials.gov