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NCT Number: NCT07412808

Spinal Cord Stimulation Combined With Motor Training in Non-Traumatic SCI: A Prospective Interventional Study

Interventional prospective longitudinal on the evaluation of spinal cord stimulation (SCS) assisted by motor rehabilitation training for restoring motor function in patients with non-traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI). The investigators will enroll ten research participants with clinically incomplete/complete SCI (patients with paraplegia or severe paraparesis) who will undergo SCS subsequently assisted by motor rehabilitation training for restoring motor function at IRCCS Ospedale San Raffaele, Milan, Italy. The main goal of the project is to evaluate the improvement in motor function generated by the combination of SCS and locomotor training. In line with recently published studies, the investigators propose that daily locomotor training in the presence of SCS with continuous stimulation parameters setting will enable the SCI individuals to stand and step independently while bearing full weight.

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Key information

Conditions

Spinal Cord Disease Central Nervous System Diseases Chronic Pain Muscle Hypertonia Muscle Spasticity Muscular Diseases Musculoskeletal Diseases Nervous System Diseases Neurologic Manifestations Neuromuscular Manifestations Pain Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms Signs and Symptoms Spinal Cord Diseases Spinal Cord Injuries Spinal Cord Injuries (Complete and Incomplete) Trauma, Nervous System Wounds and Injuries

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

IRCCS Ospedale San Raffaele

Milan, 20132, Italy

Location contact

Luigi Albano, MD, PhD

CONTACT

[email protected]

0226435568 ext. +39

Luigi Albano, MD, PhD

PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Pietro Mortini, MD

PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

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

Inclusion criteria

  • Diagnosis of NTSCI at least one year before presentation;
  • Complete or incomplete spinal cord damage (ASIA grade A, B or C) conditioning chronic neuropathic pain and motor impairment;
  • Age ≥ 18 years;
  • Indication to spinal cord stimulation surgery for chronic pain;
  • Being unable to stand or step independently;
  • No current anti-spasticity medication regimen;
  • No botox injections in the prior 3 months;
  • Evidence of a personally signed and dated informed consent document indicating that the subject has been informed of all pertinent aspects of the study;
  • Willingness and ability to comply with scheduled visits and other trial procedures.

Exclusion criteria

  • Any person unable to lie still within the environment of the MRI scanner for the required period to perform the study and those where MRI scanning is contraindicated;
  • Pregnancy or breastfeeding;
  • Any significant psychiatric disease;
  • Use of illicit drugs;
  • Unstable medical condition without cardiopulmonary disease or dysautonomia that would contraindicate standing or stepping;
  • Painful musculoskeletal dysfunction, unhealed fracture, contracture, pressure sore, or urinary tract infection that might interfere with stand or step training;
  • Spinal cord involvement above the D1 segment;
  • Severe peripheral neuropathies or damage to the cauda equine.

Treatment and study plan

Spinal cord stimulation surgery (device implant) and motor rehabilitation

Procedure

The first part of the study will involve a preoperative evaluation. Participants' clinical history, neurological, neurophysiological and advanced brain/spine MRI examination will be assessed (Part 1). Subsequently, participants will undergo spinal cord stimulation surgery which involves the implantation of a medical device (Part 2). After the surgery, the research participants will be hospitalized at the Neurosurgery Unit (5-14 days) to monitor the incision site (Part 3). Thereafter, the patients will be moved (for at least 6 weeks) to the Rehabilitation Unit in order to identify appropriate stimulation parameters for inducing stepping and standing and for starting training. The combination of epidural stimulation with manual step/stand training will be thus evaluated (Part 4). Patients will be finally assessed by clinical evaluation, advanced MRI and neurophysiological examination to study the brain, spine and peripheral functions after six months (Part 5).

Primary outcomes

  1. Motor changes (MRC)

    Time frame: Before surgery, then monthly up to 6-month from surgery

    The Medical Research Council's (MRC) scale of muscle power will be used to evaluate motor weakness. The MRC scale of muscle strength uses a score from Grade 5 (normal) to Grade 0 (no visible contraction) to assess the power of a particular muscle group in relation to the movement of a single joint.

  2. Motor changes (LEFS)

    Time frame: Before surgery, then monthly up to 6-month from surgery

    The Lower Extremity Functional Scale (LEFS) will be used by clinicians as a measure of lower extremity function. It is a questionnaire containing 20 questions about a person's ability to perform everyday tasks (minimum score 0, maximum score 80).

Secondary outcomes

  1. Spasticity changes

    Time frame: Before surgery, then monthly up to 6-month from surgery

    The Modified Ashworth scale will be used to evaluate spasticity. This scale grades the muscle tone from 0 (normal) to 4 (severe spasticity).

  2. Longitudinal neurophysiological reorganization (electromyography)

    Time frame: Before surgery and 6 months after procedure

    Electromyography will be used to evaluate muscle response or electrical activity in response to a nerve's stimulation.

  3. Longitudinal neurophysiological reorganization (motor evoked potentials)

    Time frame: Before surgery and 6 months after procedure

    Motor evoked potentials will be used to evaluate electrical signals recorded from the descending motor pathways or from muscles following stimulation of motor pathways within the brain.

  4. Longitudinal neurophysiological reorganization (sensory evoked potentials)

    Time frame: Before surgery and 6 months after procedure

    Sensory evoked potentials will be used to assess electrical activity in the brain in response to sensory stimulation.

  5. Longitudinal brain and spine MRI reorganization

    Time frame: Before surgery and 6 months after procedure

    Structural and functional brain and spine MRI analysis.

  6. Chronic pain changes (MPQ)

    Time frame: Before surgery and 6 months after procedure

    The McGill Pain Questionnaire (MPQ) can be used to evaluate a person experiencing significant pain. It consists of 15 descriptors (11 sensory; 4 affective) which are rated on an intensity scale as 0 = none, 1 = mild, 2 = moderate or 3 = severe.

  7. Chronic pain changes (PCS)

    Time frame: Before surgery and 6 months after procedure

    The Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS) assesses the extent of catastrophic thinking. It assesses the extent of catastrophic thinking due to low back pain according to 3 components: rumination, magnification, and helplessness. It is a 13-item scale, with a total range of 0 to 52. Higher scores are associated with higher amounts of pain catastrophizing.

  8. Chronic pain changes (ASC-12)

    Time frame: Before surgery and 6 months after procedure

    12-item Allodynia Symptom Checklist (ASC-12) evaluates presence of allodynia and hypoesthesia.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Albano Luigi

Other

Collaborators

  • Scuola Superiore di Studi Universitari e di Perfezionamento Sant'Anna

Registry information

Official study title

Evaluation of Spinal Cord Stimulation Assisted by Motor Rehabilitation Training for Restoring Motor Function in Non-traumatic Spinal Cord Injury: an Interventional, Prospective, Monocentric Study

Acronym: Neuro-scs-002

Important dates

Study start
2026
Primary completion
2028
Study completion
2029
First posted
Feb 17, 2026
Registry last updated
Feb 17, 2026

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.

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