Spinal Cord Epidural Stimulation Improves Lower Spine Sitting Posture Following Severe Cervical Spinal Cord Injury

Cervical spinal cord injury often impairs trunk motor control, affecting daily activities. This study investigates how trunk-specific spinal cord epidural stimulation (scES) impacts sitting independence and posture. The study involved fourteen individuals with chronic, severe cervical SCI who performed a sitting task with and without trunk-specific scES. Researchers assessed spine posture using markers and evaluated trunk assistance duration to measure independence. The results showed that scES tended to improve lower spine posture and reduce the need for trunk assistance, especially for participants with poor sitting independence without stimulation. This suggests scES can help individuals with SCI maintain a more upright posture and greater independence.

• 1
  Trunk-specific scES promoted improvements in lower spine posture, as indicated by a medium-effect size change in the sacrum to L1 inclination angle.
• 2
  scES led to a statistically significant decrease in the number of independence changes, suggesting improved ability to maintain a certain independence level for longer periods.
• 3
  In a subset analysis of participants with poorer initial sitting postural control, scES showed a large-effect-size increase in the duration of independence.