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Ultrasound for Quantifying Muscle Activation Elicited by Spinal Cord Stimulation and Functional Electrical Stimulation
Sponsor: North Carolina State University
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.
Key Details
Gender
All
Age Range
18 Years - 60 Years
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Enrollment
30
Start Date
2025-06-01
Completion Date
2026-06-01
Last Updated
2025-10-14
Healthy Volunteers
Yes
Interventions
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.
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.
Ultrasound
Ultrasound data will be collected from the shin muscles during FES and tSCS.
Locations (1)
Engineering Building III
Raleigh, North Carolina, United States