Learning to live life again in what feels like a different body is not something you can overcome overnight. There is sadly no cure and no dedicated drug that can restore bodily functions as much as those in the medical field would like.
Many who have suffered spinal cord injuries want to pursue therapy or rehabilitation right away to try and feel a sense of normality as soon as possible. Loved ones will scour the internet for answers or miracle solutions and often come across spinal cord injury clinical trials and other means of research. And while there is still no validated drug or treatment to ‘cure’ spinal cord injury, participating in a clinical trial for many may feel rewarding as you can be part of a movement that could one day support the overall research and repair of a spinal cord injury.
Important factors to consider
It isn’t easy to discover whether a treatment or therapy is entirely safe or truly works. If someone with an SCI receives experimental treatments and experiences some recovery, they may believe this was a result of the new treatment, but this is not often the case. It is important to consider that this improvement might not be thanks to the new treatment. After an incomplete spinal cord injury occurs, some people may experience an element of recovery. Equally, many people will see improvements in what they can do as a result of rehabilitation therapies in the initial three months to two years. If the person has an incomplete spinal cord injury, functional improvement may occur at any point of recovery, so it is crucial not to consider clinical trials as a solution or perfect answer.
What is considered a good clinical trial?
Scientists, surgeons, therapists and more want their research and treatments to improve an individual’s quality of life amongst independence and mobility. A well-performed clinical trial will be under control. Otherwise, biased thoughts of everyone involved could harm the research, which leads to the assumption that improvements have occurred when they might not have progressed as much as they initially thought. In a controlled environment, trial participants and investigators will be unaware of which candidate receives which treatment, especially the investigator in charge of measuring improved outcomes.
A valid human study will often only test a treatment once it has gone through extensive investigation, whether in animals or used in another related human condition and provide evidence of potential positive outcomes and utmost safety.
How long does it last?
Once enrolled in a clinical trial, you will be unaware whether you are assigned to the controlled or experimental treatment group, further blinding candidates and preventing the placebo effect for the most accurate results. Clinical trials can last for different periods depending on the treatment process involved, but follow-up examinations may occur after several months or even years. Some trials will require you to provide at least several hours for detailed assessments. This could include physical exams or blood tests and possibly MRI scans, which examine what may have changed within the spinal cord function. You should not expect to pay for these visits but consider travel and accommodation costs.
Up to three clinical trial phases occur before the experimental treatment is approved by a government regulatory agency for use in humans, and, likely, you would only be a part of one trial phase where you find out what element of the programme you are participating in.
Participating in multiple trials
Patients who have already participated in a clinical trial may or may not be able to participate in another trial. This is due to the possibility that other therapies may have slightly modified the spine without you realising, making it hard to discover whether the treatment will have a genuine benefit.
After disclosing any previous trial experience, you may still be approved for treatment, provided you meet the eligibility requirements.
A clinical structure
Clinical trials get results by assigning participants to the control or experimental treatment group – this ensures factors that could affect the study or influence results are eliminated, resulting in an equal trial. All participants will be somewhat similar to another, as too many differences in symptoms may confuse results and be detrimental to the research. Clinical trials are often repeated for each sub-category of the disease to prevent spontaneous recovery levels from causing too much effect on deciding whether or not the treatment was beneficial.
Aspire Law can help
Rehabilitation is vital so that you can return, as much as possible, to independent living. The sooner rehabilitation begins, the better your quality of life may be. As part of your compensation claim, we are here to get you the best possible rehabilitation programme as quickly as possible. We have excellent connections with many rehabilitation experts and providers to ensure you can access the best rehabilitation once funding for your claim is available. Get in touch with us today to learn more.
