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Purpose

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the common leading cause of death among people with spinal cord injury (SCI) and occurs at an early age in people with SCI as compared to able-bodied people. The findings are consistent in demonstrating a high prevalence of CVD among people with SCI. Lack of physical activity and/or prolonged sitting which is observed in people with SCI due to impaired/loss of motor function is associated with increased risk factors of CVD. By doing this study, researchers hope to learn the effects of walking training on cardiovascular health among people with chronic SCI.

Condition

Eligibility

Eligible Ages
Between 18 Years and 60 Years
Eligible Genders
All
Accepts Healthy Volunteers
No

Inclusion Criteria

  • Individuals between 18 and 60 years old, who have paraplegia (T1-L2) SCI, and who are scored less than 5 in Functional Independence Measure, Locomotion: Walk - The onset of SCI must be one year or more at the beginning of the study - Participants must not be participating in any other similar gait training activities - Participants must have medical approval from their physician to participate in walk-training

Exclusion Criteria

  • Major Cardiovascular diseases - Other neurological diseases - Muscle spasticity (greater than 3 according to Ashworth scale) - Severe orthopedic issues such as joint stiffness and fractures - Osteoporosis (bone mineral density T-score less than - 2.5)[155] - Inflammatory diseases or infections - Open wound and pressure ulcer - Pregnant women - Cognitive or psychiatric disorders - Uncontrolled autonomic dysreflexia; sudden increase in blood pressure

Study Design

Phase
N/A
Study Type
Interventional
Allocation
N/A
Intervention Model
Single Group Assignment
Primary Purpose
Treatment
Masking
None (Open Label)

Arm Groups

ArmDescriptionAssigned Intervention
Experimental
Intervention 		Participants will undergo a walking program using a treadmill, a body-weight support system, and an assistive device.
  • Behavioral: walking training
    Participants will receive three sessions a week of BWSTT with assistive training device for 8 weeks; a total of 24 sessions. The duration of each training session will an hour. During walk-training, the participant will wear a harness which is attached to an overhead motorized lift to provide body-weight support and to prevent the risk of falling.

More Details

Status
Completed
Sponsor
University of Kansas Medical Center

Study Contact

Notice

Study information shown on this site is derived from ClinicalTrials.gov (a public registry operated by the National Institutes of Health). The listing of studies provided is not certain to be all studies for which you might be eligible. Furthermore, study eligibility requirements can be difficult to understand and may change over time, so it is wise to speak with your medical care provider and individual research study teams when making decisions related to participation.