Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
Volume 87, Issue 7 , Pages 928-934, July 2006

Parental Report of Pain and Associated Limitations in Ambulatory Children With Cerebral Palsy

  • Raymond C. Tervo, MD, MSc

      Affiliations

    • Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
    • Pediatric Section, Gillette Children’s Specialty Healthcare, St. Paul, MN
    • Corresponding Author InformationReprint requests to Raymond C. Tervo, MD, MSc, Gillette Children’s Specialty Healthcare, 200 E University Ave, St. Paul, MN 55101
    • ,
  • Frank Symons, PhD

      Affiliations

    • Special Education Programs, Educational Psychology, College of Education and Human Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN.
    • ,
  • Jean Stout, MS, PT

      Affiliations

    • Center for Gait and Motion Analysis, Gillette Children’s Specialty Healthcare, St. Paul, MN
    • ,
  • Tom Novacheck, MD

      Affiliations

    • Department of Orthopedics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
    • Center for Gait and Motion Analysis, Gillette Children’s Specialty Healthcare, St. Paul, MN

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.

Key Words:  Cerebral palsy , Pain , Rehabilitation

 

 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.

PII: S0003-9993(06)00171-7

doi:10.1016/j.apmr.2006.02.023

Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
Volume 87, Issue 7 , Pages 928-934, July 2006

Article Tools

* Image Usage & Resolution