Virtual Walking Intervention for Neuropathic Pain in Spinal Cord Injury

Last updated: September 5, 2025
Sponsor: Texas A&M University
Overall Status: Active - Recruiting

Phase

N/A

Condition

Chronic Pain

Acute Pain

Oral Facial Pain

Treatment

VR Game 2

VR Game 1

Clinical Study ID

NCT05005026
HM20020719
W81XWH-20-1-0775
  • Ages > 18
  • All Genders

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 Criteria

Inclusion

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 3or 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 earliertime 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

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

Study Design

Total Participants: 250
Treatment Group(s): 2
Primary Treatment: VR Game 2
Phase:
Study Start date:
November 23, 2021
Estimated Completion Date:
September 30, 2026

Study Description

Many people with SCI experience neuropathic pain. Neuropathic pain is often described as sharp, burning, or electric. 'Traditional' treatments often do not do a good job of reducing neuropathic pain. Therefore, it is important to see if 'non-traditional' treatments might work. Scientists think that neuropathic pain occurs in SCI because the sensations coming from the eyes and up the spinal cord to the brain do not match what the brain thinks it told the body to do. This 'mis-match' may result in changes in the brain that make neuropathic pain possible. Virtual reality walking reduces this 'mis-match.' It does this by creating the 'illusion' that the person is walking. The brain then thinks it is telling the body to walk AND the information coming from the eyes matches its instructions. This 'matching' may reverse the brain changes that made neuropathic pain possible. The current study is specifically focused on individuals whose SCI has been classified as complete (ASIA A).

Connect with a study center

  • University of New South Wales

    Sydney, New South Wales
    Australia

    Site Not Available

  • University of New South Wales

    Sydney 2147714, New South Wales 2155400
    Australia

    Completed

  • University of Alabama at Birmingham

    Birmingham, Alabama 35294
    United States

    Site Not Available

  • University of Alabama at Birmingham

    Birmingham 4049979, Alabama 4829764 35294
    United States

    Active - Recruiting

  • Texas A&M University

    College Station, Texas 77843
    United States

    Site Not Available

  • Texas A&M University

    College Station 4682464, Texas 4736286 77843
    United States

    Active - Recruiting

  • Virginia Commonwealth University

    Richmond, Virginia 23236
    United States

    Site Not Available

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