NMES - SCI
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Novel Use of Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation to Improve Glucose Control in Individuals with Spinal Cord Injury
IRAS ID
346844
Contact name
Jennifer Maher
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Bath
Duration of Study in the UK
10 years, 0 months, 0 days
Research summary
Persons with mobility issues experience difficulty doing exercise which can lead to serious health problems like diabetes or heart disease. This research tests an alternative way of exercising muscles, called neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES). NMES uses small electrical impulses to bring about muscle contractions similar to those experienced with exercise. It has been used to help maintain muscle size and strength when a person is unable to exercise, for instance when they have to rest after an operation, but how it impacts metabolic health is less clear. Persons with spinal cord injury (SCI) experience extreme muscle loss after injury and therefore we will test the intervention in this population.
We will invite 10 people with SCI to test this device. We will examine how much one bout of NMES improves measures of health in individuals with SCI and identify if this impact is greater in SCI compared to individuals without a spinal cord injury. We also want to know about people’s experience with using NMES on a regular basis. Those taking part in the research will take home a NMES device and be told how to use it for 2-weeks. We will then interview these individuals to find out how they found using the device at home and how we might improve the use of the device for the future. People living with SCI will be invited to sit on a committee and advise on the progress of the research, plan events and help with report writing.
REC name
Wales REC 7
REC reference
25/WA/0064
Date of REC Opinion
12 Mar 2025
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion