Parental Report of Pain and Associated Limitations in Ambulatory Children With Cerebral Palsy
Abstract
Tervo RC, Symons F, Stout J, Novacheck T. Parental report of pain and associated limitations in ambulatory children with cerebral palsy.
Objective
To document parental reports about pain in children with cerebral palsy (CP).
Design
A cross-sectional descriptive study.
Setting
Motion analysis laboratory.
Participants
Seventy-seven ambulatory children with CP (44 boys, 33 girls; age range, 3–17y) presenting as consecutive assessments.
Interventions
Not applicable.
Main Outcome Measures
Parents completed (1) a semistructured interview, (2) the Pediatric Outcome Data Collection Instrument (PODCI), (3) the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), (4) the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Functioning (BRIEF), and (5) Gillette Functional Assessment Questionnaire. Two dichotomous PODCI pain and comfort questions were estimates of pain frequency and impact.
Results
Sixty-one percent reported “pain over the last week,” and 33% reported “pain interfered with normal activities.” Pain did not differ by topographic classification. Girls had more pain. “Pain that interfered with normal activities” was associated with limitations in activities of daily living and physical education. Social problems and attention problems on the CBCL and the initiate scale on the BRIEF were associated with pain that interfered with activity.
Conclusions
Pain in children with CP is frequent and associated with behavioral and social consequences. Sex is a risk factor; girls experience more pain. Intervention strategies that successfully support transition into adulthood are needed.
aDepartment of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
bDepartment of Orthopedics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
cPediatric Section, Gillette Children’s Specialty Healthcare, St. Paul, MN
dCenter for Gait and Motion Analysis, Gillette Children’s Specialty Healthcare, St. Paul, MN
eSpecial Education Programs, Educational Psychology, College of Education and Human Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN.
Reprint requests to Raymond C. Tervo, MD, MSc, Gillette Children’s Specialty Healthcare, 200 E University Ave, St. Paul, MN 55101
No commercial party having a direct financial interest in the results of the research supporting this article has or will confer a benefit upon the author(s) or upon any organization with which the author(s) is/are associated.
ABSTRACT