Transcutaneous spinal cord stimulation combined with robotic-assisted body weight-supported treadmill training enhances motor score and gait recovery in incomplete spinal cord injury: a double-blind randomized controlled clinical trial.

The sample size was very small (27 participants), which reduces statistical power and certainty. Blinding was not fully successful for participants in the active group or the assessor in the sham group according to one statistical method (Bang's index), though overall blinding was deemed successful by another (James' index). The stimulation intensity was set based on patient tolerance rather than an objective physiological measure, which could introduce variability. Data for participants unable to complete gait tests were imputed using the worst observed value, which may have overestimated the treatment effect on walking outcomes. Motor evoked potential data were missing for many participants, making those results unreliable.

The study was funded by the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas (CSIC), a non-U.S. government research council. No commercial conflicts of interest were reported in the provided text.

Do not assume the benefit is immediate or that it applies to all phases of recovery. The significant differences between groups only appeared at the one-month follow-up, not right after the stimulation ended. Additionally, the small sample size and issues with blinding mean this evidence is preliminary and should be interpreted with caution.