Evidence map›Paper›PMID 25229735›Full record

Trial reportThe journal of spinal cord medicine2014

A randomized trial of functional electrical stimulation for walking in incomplete spinal cord injury: Effects on walking competency.

Naaz Kapadia, Kei Masani, B Catharine Craven, Lora M Giangregorio, Sander L Hitzig, Kieva Richards, Milos R Popovic

Open access · greenAbstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in The journal of spinal cord medicine, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 71 papers, 6 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
71citing papers in PubMed, 6 pooled it
4.6field-weighted citation impact, top 5% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

71 citing papers in PubMed, 6 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 134 citations in OpenAlex.

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  18. An Intuitive, Bidirectional, and Adaptive Functional Electrical Stimulation System for Hand Rehabilitation.IEEE transactions on neural systems and rehabilitation engineering : a publication of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society · 2026
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11 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.

Naaz Kapadia
Kei Masani
B Catharine Craven
Lora M Giangregorio
Sander L Hitzig
Kieva Richards
Milos R Popovic
Toronto Rehabilitation Institute · CAUniversity Health Network · CAUniversity of Toronto · CAUniversity of Waterloo · CA

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundMulti-channel surface functional electrical stimulation (FES) for walking has been used to improve voluntary walking and balance in individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI).

objectiveTo investigate short- and long-term benefits of 16 weeks of thrice-weekly FES-assisted walking program, while ambulating on a body weight support treadmill and harness system, versus a non-FES exercise program, on improvements in gait and balance in individuals with chronic incomplete traumatic SCI, in a randomized controlled trial design.

methodsIndividuals with traumatic and chronic (≥18 months) motor incomplete SCI (level C2 to T12, American Spinal Cord Injury Association Impairment Scale C or D) were recruited from an outpatient SCI rehabilitation hospital, and randomized to FES-assisted walking therapy (intervention group) or aerobic and resistance training program (control group). Outcomes were assessed at baseline, and after 4, 6, and 12 months. Gait, balance, spasticity, and functional measures were collected.

resultsSpinal cord independence measure (SCIM) mobility sub-score improved over time in the intervention group compared with the control group (baseline/12 months: 17.27/21.33 vs. 19.09/17.36, respectively). On all other outcome measures the intervention and control groups had similar improvements. Irrespective of group allocation walking speed, endurance, and balance during ambulation all improved upon completion of therapy, and majority of participants retained these gains at long-term follow-ups.

conclusionsTask-oriented training improves walking ability in individuals with incomplete SCI, even in the chronic stage. Further randomized controlled trials, involving a large number of participants are needed, to verify if FES-assisted treadmill training is superior to aerobic and strength training.

Indexed as

WalkingElectric Stimulation TherapyFemaleGait Disorders, NeurologicHumansMaleMiddle AgedPsychomotor PerformanceRecovery of FunctionSpinal Cord InjuriesTreatment OutcomeBalanceChronicFunctional electrical stimulationIncompletePhysiotherapySpinal cord injuryTherapyWalking

Identifiers

PMID25229735
PMCPMC4166186
OpenAlexW2021074357

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.