Pain in Children with Cerebral Palsy

Pediatrics published research on the characteristics of pain in children with cerebral palsy.  A cross sectional study was completed on 252 youth ages 3-19 years old, their families and their physicians.  The results indicated the following:

• 54.8% reported some pain on the Health Utilities Index 3 
• 24.4% of the caregivers reporting that their child experienced pain that affected some level of activities in the preceding 2 weeks
• 38.7% of the doctors reported pain and identified hip dislocation/subluxation, dystonia, and constipation as the most frequent causes of pain.

The researchers concluded that the potential causes of pain in children with cerebral palsy should be determined and addressed as early as possible to avoid a negative impact on their quality of life.  

Reference:  Melanie Penner et al. Characteristics of Pain in Children and Youth With Cerebral Palsy. Pediatrics peds.2013-0224; published ahead of print July 15, 2013, doi:10.1542/peds.2013-0224