Spinal cord injuries affect about 17,000 people in the United States each year, mostly from vehicle crashes, falls, or sports injuries. Most people with spinal cord injury have incomplete injuries, meaning some nerve signals still get through. Current treatment focuses on preventing further damage, rehabilitation, and managing complications like bladder dysfunction and pain.
What's actually going on in research
Trials are testing stem cells to replace damaged tissue, nerve growth factors that may promote repair, electrical stimulation to restore movement or bladder control, and brain-computer interfaces that bypass the injury entirely. Researchers are also studying drugs that protect surviving nerve cells in the hours after injury, when immediate treatment could preserve more function.
Epidural stimulation
Devices implanted near the spinal cord deliver timed electrical pulses that help restore walking, standing, or bladder control in some people with complete injuries. Multiple centers now offer this approach through trials and expanded access programs.
Stem cell therapies
Several trials are injecting stem cells directly into the injured spinal cord to replace lost cells and reduce inflammation. Early results show safety, and some studies report modest improvements in sensation or movement.
Acute neuroprotection
Drugs given within hours of injury aim to prevent the cascade of inflammation and cell death that happens in the first days. Trials are testing approaches that could be administered by paramedics or in emergency rooms.
What to know before you search
Eligibility depends on injury level (cervical, thoracic, lumbar), completeness of injury, time since injury, and remaining function measured on standard scales.
What types of trials are currently open
- Stem cell trials — Testing whether injecting stem cells into or near the injured spinal cord can promote healing or restore function. Often requires surgery and careful monitoring.
- Stimulation trials — Testing epidural or transcutaneous electrical stimulation to restore movement, standing, bladder control, or sexual function after injury.
- Acute treatment trials — Testing drugs or cooling therapies given immediately after injury to limit damage and preserve nerve function.
- Rehabilitation trials — Testing intensive physical therapy protocols, robotic training, or activity-based therapies to maximize recovery.
- Device trials — Testing brain-computer interfaces, exoskeletons, or implanted systems that restore arm or hand function.
Recently added Spinal Cord Injuries trials
tSCS Combined With Rehabilitation Training in Treating Paraplegic Patients After SCI
This clinical trial aims to evaluate the safety and efficacy of transcutaneous spinal cord stimulation (tSCS) combined with rehabilitation training for treating paraplegia after spinal cord injury (SCI). Previous studies have shown that applying tSCS in the thoracolumbar region can enable patients with complete and incomplete SCI to immediately restore partial voluntary movement, but there are currently no domestic reports on the treatment of SCI paraplegia using tSCS combined with rehabilitation training. The main questions this study aims to answer include: 1. Compared with using tSCS alone, does combined rehabilitation therapy enable patients to better restore voluntary movement? 2. Will this treatment protocol result in fewer adverse events? 3. Can the tSCS combined with rehabilitation training protocol be applied to a large number of patients with paraplegia after SCI to help them restore voluntary movement?For paraplegic patients with SCI (spinal cord injury) whose injury duration exceeds 1 week, baseline data (pre-stimulation, at the end of the first week of stimulation, and post-experiment) need to be collected after assessment. After adjusting the stimulation parameters of tSCS (transcutaneous spinal cord stimulation) and modifying the rehabilitation training plan, a one-month personalized rehabilitation training program will be conducted, followed by at least four weeks of follow-up. Researchers will compare the assessment results recorded at different stages and use specific indicators to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of this treatment protocol.
Informational Needs of Caregivers of Patients With Neuromotor Disease in Rehabilitation Hospitalization: Validation Study of the QBI-R/V
Background and rationale. Although the literature suggests that caregivers have different needs at various stages of the patient's illness, to date, most studies have focused only on the needs of caregivers of patients with specific diseases or during specific periods of the illness trajectory, and have not explored changes in caregivers' needs throughout the entire neuromotor recovery process, from admission to discharge in rehabilitation wards. In a patient-centered care perspective, it is important not only to explore the informal experiences of patients and caregivers regarding outcomes and consequences of the transition from hospital to home, but also their perspectives on interventions that would support them in self-management. In this context, this study represents the next phase of a qualitative study that identified the underlying dimensions of caregivers' informational needs, essential for constructing a measurement tool that allows both qualitative and quantitative assessment of these needs. The tool would make it possible to identify, upon patient admission to rehabilitation, the essential informational needs in order to address them during hospitalization. The same items would also serve to assess the response obtained, in terms of healthcare service quality, before discharge. Study design. Experimental with low level of intervention. Objectives. The study aims to validate a questionnaire specifically developed to detect and assess the informational needs of caregivers of neurological patients during rehabilitation hospitalization (post-acute phase). Endpoint. Creation of a reliable and valid tool for detecting the informational needs of caregivers of neurological patients during rehabilitation hospitalization.
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