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Completed

NCT Number: NCT05437276

A Therapeutic Experience Program (TEP) Study for Improvement of Gait in People With Multiple Sclerosis (MS)

PoNS therapy is a rehabilitation program that uses the PoNS device in conjunction with individualized physical exercise. This is an outcome research open label observational interventional multi-center study investigating the relationship between subject's adherence to PoNS therapy and therapeutic outcomes.

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Key information

Age range

22 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Observational

Primary location

Shepherd Center, Atlanta, Georgia, United States

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About this study

Study participants will undergo fourteen weeks of on-label PoNS therapy and, specifically, two weeks in-clinic PoNS therapy directly supervised by a physical therapist who has been trained on PoNS therapy by Helius Medical and certified as a clinic PoNS trainer (Phase 1) followed by 12 weeks of at-home unsupervised PoNS therapy Once weekly in-clinic PoNS therapy session (Phase 2). Subjects will be then asked to return to the clinic six month after the end of the study Phase 2 to assess maintenance of PoNS therapy effects.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Men and women ≥ 22 years of age with a diagnosis of MS.
  • EDSS scores < 6.5 at screening; a demonstrated gait deficit.
  • Can walk at least 10 meters with or without the use of walking aids.
  • Participants must be stable without relapse for at least 60 days and agree to PoNS therapy regimen.

Exclusion criteria

  • Other neurological, visual, or orthopedic problems that significantly interfere with balance or gait.
  • Dementia.
  • Subjects who are currently attending physical rehabilitation and are unwilling to switch to PoNS-specific physical therapy regimen.
  • Subjects who are already functional community ambulators (gait speed>120cm/s43).
  • Subjects will also be excluded as per the Helius Medical PoNS device indication for usage ("electrical stimulation should not be used: if there is an active or suspected malignant tumor; in areas of recent bleeding or open wounds; in areas that lack normal sensation; in women who are pregnant, or in people with sensitivity to nickel, gold or copper").

Treatment and study plan

PoNS®

Device

The PoNS device used in conjunction with rehabilitative physical therapy

Primary outcomes

  1. Measure subjects' adherence to PoNS therapy (device + physical therapy)

    Time frame: 14 weeks

    Subjects' adherence to at-home PoNS therapy (device + physical therapy) over 12 weeks following 2 weeks of supervised PoNS therapy at a physical therapy clinic and the relationship between subject's therapy adherence behavior and therapeutic functional outcomes as measured by the Dynamic Gait Index (DGI).

Secondary outcomes

  1. 1) Clinical improvement and its relationship to adherence over the 14-week course of PoNS therapy by evaluating

    Time frame: 14 weeks

    a. subject's improvement of gait as measured by the Timed 25-foot Walk Test

  2. 1) Clinical improvement and its relationship to adherence over the 14-week course of PoNS therapy by evaluating

    Time frame: 14 weeks

    b. balance deficits as measured by the Timed Up and Go Cognitive (TUG-Cog) Test,

  3. 1) Clinical improvement and its relationship to adherence over the 14-week course of PoNS therapy by evaluating

    Time frame: 14 weeks

    c. investigator's impression of clinical improvement as measured by the Clinical Global Impression (CGI)

  4. Clinical improvement among subjects receiving a second course of PoNS therapy as measured by:

    Time frame: 14 weeks

    a. the rate and timing of investigator initiated second course of therapy

  5. Clinical improvement among subjects receiving a second course of PoNS therapy as measured by:

    Time frame: 14 weeks

    b. the magnitudes of improvements in gait and balance deficits during the second course of therapy

  6. 3) Association between likelihood of second course of therapy and magnitudes of improvement with adherence during the initial therapy

    Time frame: 14 weeks

    adherence during the second course of therapy, and changes in adherence

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Helius Medical Inc

Industry

Registry information

Official study title

A Therapeutic Experience Program (TEP) Study Assessing Adherence to On-Label PoNS® Therapy for Improvement of Gait in People With Multiple Sclerosis (MS) in a Real-World Clinical Setting

Acronym: PoNSTEP

Important dates

Study start
2022
Primary completion
2024
Study completion
2024
First posted
Jun 29, 2022
Registry last updated
Mar 28, 2025

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.