An interventional study of Vibro-tactile stimulation in Writer's Cramp and Dystonias, sponsored by Ottawa Hospital Research Institute. Not yet recruiting. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-10-26.
Sponsored by Ottawa Hospital Research Institute · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment
Writer's cramps (WC) is a focal task-specific upper limb dystonia that significantly impairs handwriting and other manual skills, affecting functionality. WC is one of the most common task-specific dystonias, affecting 3.8-80 per million individuals. The first-line management option is botulinum toxin injections in the muscles affected by the involuntary movements, causing a transient neuromuscular blocking effect and reducing muscle abnormal contraction. However, the effect lasts for around 3 months or less, is invasive, may cause unintended hand weakness, and the benefits are variable in terms of the severity of dystonic contraction and functional gain.
Focal limb dystonia pathophysiology, including writer's cramps, has been linked to propriospinal signalling defects in the sensorimotor cortex modulation5, prompting an investigation into neuromodulation of this region as a modality for dystonia management.
Other forms of dystonia have shown a reduction of the involuntary movements with vibrotactile stimulation (VTS), including cervical and laryngeal dystonia8. These results have supported the hypothesis that VTS alters the abnormal output of mechanical receptors from proprioceptive and tactile pathways to the sensorimotor cortex.Changes in neurophysiological markers of dystonia in the sensorimotor cortex also corroborated the modulatory effect.
Furthermore, more invasive methods of neuromodulation, such as Globus Pallidus internus Deep Brain Stimulation, are known to be an effective treatment option for medically refractory dystonia, with evidence of promoting a similar result on the sensorimotor pathway via cortico-basal ganglia network direct stimulation. Finally, one of the most common ways of modulation is a core feature in dystonia, which is called an alleviating manoeuvre (AM) or geste antagoniste. This comprises a sensory or motor stimulation located in the anatomical area of the dystonia, which will transiently alleviate the involuntary movement. In that case, Functional MRI studies also suggest a sensorimotor network modulation in AM. Thus, there is considerable preliminary evidence to suggest the role of invasive and non-invasive neuromodulation in the treatment of dystonia.
Given the variable and often suboptimal response to standard treatments for task-specific dystonia, such as WC, and the associated functional impairment, this study explores the role of vibrotactile stimulation (VTS) as a non-invasive neuromodulation tool for WC. VTS targets muscles involved in dystonic contractions, intending to create a non-invasive neuromodulation via propriospinal pathways to the sensorimotor cortex and improve motor control in individuals with WC. The effect described in previous studies lasts around 20-30 minutes, which should allow functionality for handwriting during that period of time. In the future, with the refinement of the technique's effectiveness, it could be escalated for a wearable treatment option.
Based on the clinical and pathophysiological characteristics of task-specific dystonia it is reasonable to use a peripheral sensory modulation technique to try and reduced the abnormal motor cortical output this way reducing the dystonic movement. That has been proved successful in other types of dystonia. Thus, a pilot study for proof-of-concept concept and feasibility is a good first step towards that direction.
95 studies on the registry are indexed under Dystonic Disorders; 19 are open to participants now.
This study's planned enrollment of 10 is below the median of 24 across 45 interventional studies indexed under Dystonic Disorders.
Browse Dystonic Disorders studies →Ottawa Hospital Research Institute is the lead sponsor of 547 studies on the registry; 99 are open to participants now.
Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.
Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.
Exclusion Criteria:
Participants will undergo research visits for a vibro-tactile stimulation session in the forearm muscles of the dominant hand. These encounters will include a baseline assessment (pre-stimulation), an assessment during a continuous stimulation period, a third assessment 20 minutes after, and a fourth assessment 60 minutes after to assess retention. The assessments will have a specific structure detailed in the next topic.
Device: Vibro-tactile stimulation
Participants will undergo research visits for a vibro-tactile stimulation session in the forearm muscles of the dominant hand. These encounters will include a baseline assessment (pre-stimulation), an assessment during a continuous stimulation period, a third assessment 20 minutes after, and a fourth assessment 60 minutes after to assess retention.
Writer's Cramp Rating Scale
The Writer's Cramp Rating Scale is validated and widely adopted in botulinum toxin trials for WC treatment. The Writer's Cramp Rating Scale quantify dystonia severity by measuring involuntary movements and handwriting speed. It provides a structured, objective measure of motor control specific to WC. The total score ranges from 0 to 30, with 0 indicating no writer's cramp symptoms and 30 indicating maximum severity. Higher scores indicate worse outcomes, while a reduction in the score indicates clinical improvement.
Time frame: 2 weeks
Subjective Perception of Improvement Questionnaire
Captures participant-perceived functional benefit that may not be fully reflected by clinician-rated scales. The questionnaire consists of six items, each rated on an 11-point numerical scale ranging from 0 to 10. The total score ranges from 0 to 60, with higher scores indicating greater perceived improvement (better outcomes)
Time frame: 2 weeks
No study locations are listed for this record.
Start is estimated for Dec 2026; primary completion for Dec 2027, 12 months later.
How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.
From the registry record's own update history. This site started tracking changes on Sep 25, 2026; for anything earlier, see the record history on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
This study is not yet recruiting, as verified in Oct 2026. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
Get an email when the registry record changes — status, dates, results — or when someone posts here.
Sign in to followQuestions and observations about this study, from anyone following it. Not medical advice, and not a channel to the study team — their contact details are on the registry record.
Sign in to join the discussion. Reading takes no account; posting does. You choose a display name, and a pseudonym is the default.
Nothing here yet. If you are running this trial, taking part in it, or weighing whether to, this is the place to say so.
Ottawa Hospital Research Institute →