Recruiting

Rehabilitation Timing

Sponsor:

University of Alberta

Code:

NCT07636135

Conditions

Cervical Myelopathy

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 18+

Healthy Volunteers: Not accepted

Interventions

Physical Therapy

Study Details

Brief summary:

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn whether starting rehabilitation earlier after surgery can improve recovery and is feasible and acceptable for adults with degenerative cervical myelopathy (DCM) undergoing cervical spine surgery. The main question it aims to answer is:

Does starting rehabilitation earlier improve walking, balance, physical activity, quality of life, and nervous system function after surgery?

Researchers will compare participants who begin rehabilitation two weeks after surgery with participants who begin rehabilitation six weeks after surgery to see if earlier rehabilitation leads to better recovery outcomes and participation.

Participants will:

Be randomly assigned to begin rehabilitation either two weeks or six weeks after surgery.

Attend physical therapy sessions twice per week for eight weeks focused on strength, balance, and walking.

Complete assessments of walking ability, balance, physical activity, quality of life, and nervous system function over several months after surgery.

Provide feedback about their experience with the rehabilitation program, including satisfaction and any side effects or challenges related to participation.

Conditions

Cervical Myelopathy

Study ID

NCT07636135

Start date

Jul 1, 2026

Status verified date

Aug, 2026

Completion date

Dec 31, 2027

Anticipated

Primary completion date

Oct 31, 2027

Anticipated

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 18+

Healthy Volunteers: Not accepted

Inclusion Criteria:

  • adult (>18 years of age) with diagnosis of degenerative cervical myelopathy, within 2 weeks of spinal decompression surgery
  • plan to be discharged home from acute care (i.e., not admitted to another facility for post-operative rehabilitation)
  • able to stand with a maximum of one-person assist (+/- use of gait aid)
  • persistent functional impairment in lower extremity strength, balance, coordination, and/or gait
  • ability to attend an 8-week in-person rehabilitation program in Edmonton, Alberta

Exclusion Criteria:

  • discharge from acute care facility > 2 weeks post-operative
  • intra-operative or early post-operative complication delaying discharge or precluding participation in early rehabilitation

Study Design

Enrollment

20 participants

Anticipated

Allocation

Randomized

Intervention Model

Parallel Assignment

Primary purpose

Treatment

Interventions and Outcome Measures

Arms

active comparator: Usual Care Rehabilitation

Participants will begin post-operative rehabilitation 6 weeks following their cervical spine surgery

experimental: Early Rehabilitation

Participants will begin post-operative rehabilitation 2 weeks following their cervical spine surgery

Interventions

Physical Therapy

Active, task-specific physical therapy to enhance balance, walking, and strength

Primary outcome measure

  • Change from Baseline in the Ten Metre Walk Test [ Time Frame: Baseline and End Rehabilitation (8 weeks following Baseline) ]

Central Contacts and Locations

Locations

University of Alberta

Recruiting

Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, T6G2G4

Contacts

Research Assistant

780-492-4858clhurd@ualberta.ca

More Information

Sponsor

University of Alberta

Last update posted

Aug 7, 2026

Last verified

Aug, 2026

Keywords

  • physical therapy
  • post-operative rehabilitation
  • walking
  • degenerative cervical myelopathy
  • spinal cord injury

Trial information was received from ClinicalTrials.gov and was last updated on 2026-09-10. This information was provided to ClinicalTrials.gov by University of Alberta on 2026-08-07.