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Current Reporting Practices for Research Involving Transcutaneous Spinal Cord Stimulation for Persons Living with
Garrison Lin1, Amanda McIntyre1,2,3, Emma A Bateman3,4,5
1Arthur Labatt Family School of Nursing, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada.
Background:
Transcutaneous spinal cord stimulation (tSCS) is a noninvasive neuromodulation technique aimed at improving voluntary movement, autonomic function, spasticity, and other complications in individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI).
Objectives:
The objective of this scoping review is to evaluate reporting practices relating to safety, stimulation parameters, and outcomes among studies employing tSCS among persons living with SCI.
Methods:
CINAHL, EMBASE, PubMed, and Web of Science databases were searched for studies published up to December 2024. Eligible studies met these criteria: (1) full-length, English-language article; (2) SCI population aged 18+ years; and (3) tSCS intervention. Data extracted included study year, subject characteristics, design, outcomes, adverse events, and stimulation parameters.
Results:
Among 2267 studies retrieved from the search, 65 studies met inclusion criteria and were included for review. Of these, 13 (20%) were case studies, 14 (21.5%) were repeated measures, 18 (27.7%) were pre-post, and 20 (30.8%) were controlled trials. Missing stimulation parameters included total intervention time (20.0%), phase of tSCS (13.8%), and pulse width (12.3%). Less commonly omitted were stimulation frequency, time post SCI, total sessions, and session duration detail (all ≤4.6%). Repeated measures study design had the poorest overall reporting of parameters with intervention time missing in 57.1% (8 of 14) studies.
Conclusion:
These findings highlight a pattern of incomplete reporting across studies, particularly regarding intervention dosage parameters, which may limit the interpretability and reproducibility of results. A comprehensive reporting guide could improve study replication and ensure consistency in both research and clinical practice.
