Virtual Walking Intervention for Neuropathic Pain in Spinal Cord Injury

NCT05005026 · tracked via the Priya Life Science Australia tracker

Sponsor

Texas A&M University

Phase

Not applicable

Started

2021-11-23

Last updated

2025-12-17

Condition(s) studied

Spinal Cord InjuriesNeuropathic Pain

Investigational drug(s) / intervention(s)

VR Game 1VR Game 2

VR Game 1: Individuals playing VR game 1 will wear a head-mounted display to allow them to visualize virtual legs in the virtual environment. When wearing the display, individuals will see the legs and arms of their virtual avatar from a first-person perspective. Individuals will engage in virtual reality sessions in their home twice daily over the course of 10 days in a two-week period. Each daily session will take approximately 30 minutes, with 5-10 minutes dedicated to the virtual walking experience. Additionally, each daily session will be scheduled a minimum of 4 hours apart.

VR Game 2: Individuals playing VR game 2 will wear a head-mounted display to allow them to visualize virtual legs in the virtual environment. When wearing the display, individuals will see the legs and arms of their virtual avatar from a first-person perspective. Individuals will engage in virtual reality sessions in their home twice daily over the course of 10 days in a two-week period. Each daily session will take approximately 30 minutes, with 5-10 minutes dedicated to the virtual walking experience. Additionally, each daily session will be scheduled a minimum of 4 hours apart.

Study summary

The purpose of this study is to determine if playing a virtual reality walking game can help improve neuropathic pain in adults with chronic spinal cord injury.

Eligibility

Sex

ALL

Min age

18 Years

Max age

—

Healthy volunteers

Inclusion Criteria: The study will recruit individuals with complete injury (American Spinal Injury Association \[ASIA\] classification A) with lumbar, paraplegic, or low tetraplegic (C5-C7) injury. Additional criteria will include: 1. Must have persistent NP symptoms that are of daily severity of at least 4/10 for 3 or more months 2. Must endorse more than 2 items on a 7-item Spinal Cord Injury Pain Instrument, SCIPI 3. Must be 18 years of age or older 4. Must be more than one year post-injury to begin study (can be screened at an earlier time for eligibility) 5. Must have mobile connectivity with usable service 6. Must be stable on pain medication for 1 or more months 7. Must be cleared on the VRWalk physical activity clearance scale 8. Must not have motion sickness that interferes with daily life Exclusion Criteria: 1. Individuals with Injury levels between C1 and C4 2. Individuals under the age of 18 3. Individuals who were injured within the past year 4. Individuals who cannot comprehend spoken English 5. Individuals who are in prison 6. Individuals who are blind 7. Individuals who experience severe motion sickness

Primary outcome measure(s)

Change in Pain Intensity — Baseline - final follow up (up to 18 months)
The Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) measures pain intensity via 0-10 numeric rating scale 0-10 where 0 is no pain and 10 is the worst pain imaginable.

Trial sites (3)

Facility	City	Region	Status
University of Alabama at Birmingham	Birmingham	Alabama	Recruiting
Texas A&M University	College Station	Texas	Recruiting
University of New South Wales	Sydney	New South Wales	Completed

Other trials for the same condition

Spinal Cord Injury Neurorecovery Collaboration Recruiting

Official registry record

This page summarises publicly available registry data for informational purposes — not medical advice. Eligibility is determined by each study team; patients should discuss participation with their clinician.

View NCT05005026 on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗ ← All trials in Australia