Spinal Stimulation ‘sit to stand’ after SCI: STIM2STAND
RNOH Stanmore and Neurokinex, Watford, Award: £175,333, Date of Award: October 2016
Spinal Stimulation has been shown to recover voluntary movement, and may promote neuroplasticity, in people with spinal cord injury (SCI). In this study we will explore i) the neurophysiological effects of different patterns of transcutaneous spinal stimulation in healthy subjects and ii) the effects of an 8-week intervention of spinal stimulation sit-to-stand training in people living with SCI. The main goals of the study are: 1) To explore the effects of transcutaneous SS using different stimulation patterns on subjective comfort and central nervous system excitability in healthy subjects. 2) To measure the effects of adding transcutaneous SS to 8 weeks of sit-to-stand training on; i) sit-to-stand performance, ii) bladder function and; iii) health-related quality of life (QoL) in people living with SCI.