a randomized, sham-controlled, double-blinded and parallel group trial (10 therapeutic sessions) with the combination between high-frequency rTsMS and body weight-support treadmill training in improving the gait and sensory-motor function of adult patients with chronic incomplete spinal cord injury.

a randomized, sham-controlled, double-blinded and parallel group trial (10 therapeutic sessions) with the combination between sham rTsMS and body weight-support treadmill training in improving the gait and sensory-motor function of adult patients with chronic incomplete spinal cord injury.

For repetitive trans-spinal magnetic stimulation - rTsMS (high-frequency or sham), volunteers will be positioned comfortably in a lateral decubitus position. High-frequency rTsMS will be applied with an eight-shaped coil over the tenth thoracic vertebra (10 Hz; 100 pulses per train, 20-second interval between trains; 100% resting motor threshold). For sham rTsMS, two coils will be used: (i) a coil connected to the stimulator will be placed behind the patient (away from the spine) to generate the characteristic sound, and (ii) another coil, disconnected from the stimulator, will be placed on the tenth thoracic vertebra. Both real and sham stimulation will last 20 minutes. Gait training with body weight support will be performed on a Biodex Rehabilitation treadmill for 20 minutes. Researchers will assist the patient in foot placement, knee extension, and pelvis/trunk alignment. Body weight support and treadmill speed will be adjusted based on the patient's performance.

this is international scale, designed to identify an improvement in the ability to perform gait with spinal cord injury under environmental conditions. The WISCI-II is considered standard for gait evaluation of patients with spinal cord injury inserted in clinical trials. The WISCI-II categorizes patients' ability to perform a gait on 20 different levels by considering the following: distance traveled, need for assistance, assistance from others people, and gait devices. The higher the score, the greater the independence in gait.

Sensory-motor function was assessed using the AIS. This assessment measure is part of the guidelines provided by the International Standards for Neurological Classification of Spinal Cord Injury (ISNCSCI), created by the American Spinal Injury Association. Using the AIS, motor function was measured by the total score of the Upper Extremities Motor Scale (UEMS) and Lower Extremities Motor Scale (LEMS). The UEMS and LEMS are made up of the sum of the strength levels of ten main muscles. Each muscle was given a score ranging from '0' to '5', according to the manual muscle strength assessment scale. Sensory function was measured by the total score of two sensory components assessed in the AIS: 'light touch (LT)' and 'pinprick (PP)'. To assess sensory function, stimuli were applied to the dermatomes as described in the ASIA standardised manuals. The score for each component of the dermatome varies from '0 to 2': 0 = no sensation, 1 = altered sensation and 2 = preserved sensation.