Clinical trial · Interventional
Effects of Whole-body Electrical Muscle Stimulation Exercise on Adults With Neuromuscular Disease
Effects of Whole-body Electrical Muscle Stimulation Exercise on Adults withNeuromuscular Disease
NCT07478172CI-TRIAL-00105713recruitingN/AClinicalTrials.gov clinicaltrialsProvenance
- Source
- ClinicalTrials.gov
- Retrieved
- Sep 8, 2026
- Layer
- normalized (units and labels harmonized; values unchanged)
- Run
- ING-CLINICALTRIALS-20260908-000001
Summary
Brief summary (as posted)
This single-arm pilot study evaluates the effects of whole-body electrical muscle stimulation (WB-EMS) exercise on neuromuscular and physical function in adults with neuromuscular disease (NMD). Due to motor unit impairments, NMD patients often cannot tolerate traditional exercise. WB-EMS bypasses voluntary activation limits by directly stimulating muscle contractions. Up to 50 adults with conditions like ALS, SMA, and MG will undergo 20-minute supervised WB-EMS sessions (1-2 times weekly for 4-8 weeks) using the Katalyst system. Outcomes include neural excitability (TMS), motor unit behavior (EMG, NCS), functional tests (walk, balance, strength), and patient-reported fatigue, pain, and quality of life. Strict safety monitoring and exclusion criteria are in place. This study will provide preliminary data on WB-EMS as a potential exercise modality for NMD.
Conditions
Conditions (18)
Free-text conditions as registered, with the CancerIndex entity they were reconciled to and the match type.
| Condition (as posted) | Mapped entity | Match | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis | — | UNRESOLVED | — |
| Centronuclear Myopathy | — | UNRESOLVED | — |
| Charcot Marie Tooth Disease (CMT) | — | UNRESOLVED | — |
| Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy | — | UNRESOLVED | — |
| Fascioscapulohumeral Muscular Dystrophy | — | UNRESOLVED | — |
| Hereditary Spastic Paraplegia | — | UNRESOLVED | — |
| Inclusion Body Myositis | — | UNRESOLVED | — |
| Lambert-eaton Myasthenic Syndrome | — | UNRESOLVED | — |
| Mitochondrial Myopathy |
Interventions
Interventions (1)
| Intervention | Type | Mapped drug | Match |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whole-body Electrical Muscle Stimulation Exercise | Device | — | UNRESOLVED |
Design
Arms and outcomes
Arms (1)
- type
- EXPERIMENTAL
- label
- Adults with Neuromuscular Disease
- description
- Participants will complete 1-2 WB-EMS Exercise visits per week for 4-8 weeks. Participants in this study will only perform Level 1 exercise programs in the "Strength" Training Mode. These programs are 20-minute videos led by exercise professionals. They consist of 10-12 exercises performed for 14 repetitions. Each repetition takes 4 seconds to complete (the time that the stimulation is "on") and is followed by a 4 second rest (the time that the stimulation is "off"). While the participant is following along with the video, they will be monitored and stimulation levels adjusted based on participant responses. Monitoring includes maintenance of moderate intensity level rate of perceived exertion and provision of verbal or tactile cues as needed to prompt biomechanically safe performance of each exercise movement. The exercise program (and thereby the stimulation) can be paused at any time by simply apping anywhere on the iPad screen.
- interventionNames
- Device: Whole-body Electrical Muscle Stimulation Exercise
Primary outcomes (4)
- measure
- Mean change from baseline in motor unit firing rates using decomposition electromyography (dEMG)
- timeFrame
- Measured 4-7 days prior to the start of intervention (Week 1) and 4-7 days after 4 weeks of intervention (Week 6 and Week 11).
Eligibility
Eligibility (as posted)
- Sex
- All
- Minimum age
- 18 Years
Show eligibility criteria text
Inclusion Criteria: * Age 18 or older * Diagnosed with one or more of the following neuromuscular conditions: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, primary lateral sclerosis, progressive muscle atrophy, spinal muscular atrophy, postpolio syndrome, inclusion body myositis, pompedisease, fascioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy, charcot marie tooth disease, chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy, hereditary spastic paraplegia, myasthenia gravis, lambert-eaton myasthenic syndrome, postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, mitochondrial myopathy, nemaline myopathy, centronuclear myopathy, lumbar radiculopathy, non-specific low back pain. * Ability to stand for approximately 15 minutes continuously with or without an assistive device (i.e. the length of time to stand to take a shower, complete meal preparation, wait in line at the bank, etc.) * At least some anti-gravity strength in major muscle groups as assessed by manual muscle testing (i.e. 2+/5 strength or better) * Medical clearance to participate in an exercise program * Ability to provide informed consent * Ability to conform to the requirements of the study (i.e. attendance at assessment and intervention visits, maintain current level of non-study physical activity for the duration of the study, no intention to relocate mid-study) Exclusion Criteria: * Diagnosed with one of the following neuromuscular conditions: Becker's muscular dystrophy, Duchenne muscular dystrophy, limb-girdle muscular dystrophy, myotonic dystrophy type 1 or 2, Freidrich's ataxia, any other NMD with known or suspected cardiac involvement or muscle fiber structural integrity defects. * Concurrent participation in another interventional research study * Unable to tolerate 15 minutes of continuous standing with or without an assistive device * Presence of a pacemaker, metal implants, or other implanted medical devices that could impact participant safety during WB-EMS intervention * Presence of cochlear implant, cortical stimulator, deep brain stimulator, ventriculoperitoneal shunt, recent skull defect, seizure in the past 12 months while taking anti-epilepsy medication, or previous serious adverse event with TMS, which could impact participant safety during TMS testing * Presence of unstable acute or chronic disease (i.e. renal failure, rheumatologic disease, cardia arrhythmia, neoplasm, uncontrolled hypertension) * Known pregnancy at time of screening; verbal screening will occur throughout the study. * Presence of a terminal disease (i.e. receiving hospice services) * Current or previous use of any drugs known to influence muscle mass or performance within 6 months; these may include but are not limited to anabolic steroids, IGF01, growth hormone, replacement androgen therapy, anti-androgen therapy * Presence of an additional neurologic conditions affecting somatosensory or motor function/control (i.e. Parkinson's disease, Multiple Sclerosis, h/o stroke, TBI, SCI, ataxia, apraxia, hemiplegia, etc.) * Musculoskeletal condition or surgery in the past year that would confound results of exercise interventions (i.e. TKA, THA, RTC repair, spinal fusion) * Other medical conditions, signs, or symptoms that would interfere with study conductor interpretation of results as determined by an investigator
References
Publications (0)
Data not yet available
No reference posted for this study.