Spinal Cord Transcutaneous Stimulation Effect on Blood Pressure in Acute Spinal Cord Injury (SCI)

Spinal cord injuries (SCI) at or above the mid-chest level frequently damage the nerves that control blood pressure, leading to chronically low blood pressure (hypotension) and dangerous drops in blood pressure when sitting up (orthostatic hypotension). These blood pressure problems cause dizziness, fainting, and significantly delay rehabilitation. Transcutaneous spinal cord stimulation — a non-invasive technique that delivers mild electrical pulses through the skin over the spine — may help restore blood pressure regulation without medications. This study is testing whether this approach can improve blood pressure stability in the acute phase after SCI. Adults aged 18 to 75 who are 7 to 30 days after a spinal cord injury at the thoracic level T2 or above, classified as AIS A–C (meaning moderate to complete injury), and who exhibit hypotensive symptoms are eligible. Patients who are ventilator-dependent, have implanted neurostimulators or pacemakers, have significant cardiac disease, or are pregnant are excluded. Participants will receive sessions of non-invasive electrical stimulation applied to the back, and blood pressure responses will be carefully monitored. This research is important because hypotension after high spinal cord injury is a serious and poorly treated problem that worsens outcomes — if transcutaneous stimulation proves effective, it could offer a drug-free, readily applicable tool to stabilize blood pressure and accelerate rehabilitation in the critical early weeks after injury.