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Remote Ischemic Conditioning and Spinal Reflex Modulation in Children With Cerebral Palsy
Effects of Remote Ischemic Conditioning (RIC) Combined With Balance Training on Spinal Reflex Modulation in Children With Cerebral Palsy
Who can join
Ages 8 to 17 · All sexes
Full eligibility criteria
Inclusion Criteria: * Children diagnosed with cerebral palsy (CP) between the ages 8-17 years * Gross motor function classification system levels I-III * Mainstream in school and has sufficient cognition to follow the experiment instructions Exclusion Criteria: * Children with other developmental disabilities such as autism and developmental coordination disorders * Children with cognitive deficits such as inability to understand and follow commands, substantially lower performance at grade level in school, and/or communication problems * Children with balance disorders such as vestibular disorders, posterior fossa tumor etc. * Children with known cardiorespiratory dysfunctions * Children with sickle cell disease * Children who are receiving other adjunct therapies such as transcranial magnetic stimulation, transcranial direct current stimulation, or vagal nerve stimulation * Presence of lower extremity condition, injury, or surgery within last three months which could compromise conditioning and training. * Participants who are pregnant.
About the study
Remote ischemic conditioning (RIC) is a clinically feasible intervention involving brief, sublethal periods of ischemia followed by reperfusion that has been shown to enhance motor performance, strength, and balance when combined with training in healthy adults and individuals with neurological conditions. Although RIC is thought to influence neuroplasticity through neural, metabolic, and humoral pathways, its effects on spinal-level mechanisms remain poorly understood. Emerging evidence indicates that neuroplastic adaptations occur not only at the cortical level but also within the spinal cord. Moreover, altered spinal reflex excitability is associated with spasticity, balance impairments, and functional limitations in children with cerebral palsy (CP), yet the role of spinal reflex modulations in response to RIC and balance training remains under expplored in this population. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the effects of RIC combined with balance training on spinal reflex modulation in children with CP.
What is being tested
- Remote Ischemic Condtioning (RIC) (behavioral)
- Sham conditioning (behavioral)
- Balance training (behavioral)
Sponsor: East Carolina University · Participants: 16 · Started: Jul 28, 2025
Contact the study team
- Swati M Surkar, PhD · Phone: 2527446244
Official record on ClinicalTrials.gov — NCT07390760
Locations in the U.S.
| North Carolina | East Carolina University, Greenville |
Conditions
From ClinicalTrials.gov, data retrieved Sep 30, 2026. Each study sets its own eligibility; the study team decides who can join.