Current Reporting Practices for Research Involving Transcutaneous Spinal Cord Stimulation for Persons Living with Spinal Cord Injuries: A Scoping Review.

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.