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Pain in children with cerebral palsy: implications for pediatric physical therapy

Mary Swiggum1, Merry Lynne Hamilton, Peggy Gleeson

  • 1School of Physical Therapy, Texas Woman's University, Houston, Texas 77030, USA. mswiggum@twu.edu

Pediatric Physical Therapy : the Official Publication of the Section on Pediatrics of the American Physical Therapy Association
|February 10, 2010
PubMed

Insights

Children with cerebral palsy (CP) experience significant pain during physical therapy, impacting their quality of life. Research by physical therapists on pain management for CP is limited, yet psychosocial strategies show promise.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric physical therapy
  • Pain management in children with cerebral palsy
  • Psychosocial interventions

Background:

  • Children with cerebral palsy (CP) often experience substantial pain.
  • Pain negatively impacts quality of life and cooperation with healthcare procedures.
  • Pain is prevalent during physical therapy (PT) interventions for children with CP.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review pain assessment tools relevant to PT for children with CP.
  • To explore psychosocial pain management methods applicable to PT for children with CP.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of existing research.
  • Focus on studies pertinent to pediatric physical therapy.
  • Inclusion of research by non-physical therapist professionals.

Main Results:

  • Various pain assessment tools are available for children with CP.
  • Psychosocial pain management techniques show potential for reducing pain during PT.
  • Research led by physical therapists in this area is currently limited.

Conclusions:

  • Children with CP face significant pain challenges during PT.
  • There is a need for increased physical therapist-led research on pain interventions.
  • Psychosocial approaches are recommended for managing pain in this population.
Abstract

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