title: Motor function predicts parent-reported musculoskeletal pain in children with cerebral palsy.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The relationship between pain and motor function is not well understood, especially for children and adolescents with communication and motor impairments associated with cerebral palsy (CP).
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To determine whether a predictive relationship between motor function and musculoskeletal pain exists in children with CP.
  
  
  METHODS
  Following informed consent, caregivers of 34 pediatric patients with CP (mean [± SD] age 9.37±4.49 years; 80.0% male) completed pain- and function-related measures. Parents completed the Dalhousie Pain Interview and the Brief Pain Inventory based on a one-week recall to determine whether pain had been experienced in the past week, its general description, possible cause, duration, frequency, intensity and interference with daily function. The Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) was used to classify the motor involvement of the child based on their functional ability and their need for assistive devices for mobility.
  
  
  RESULTS
  GMFCS level significantly predicted parent-reported musculoskeletal pain frequency (P<0.02), duration (P=0.05) and intensity (P<0.01). Duration of pain was significantly related to interference with activities of daily living (P<0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Children with CP with greater motor involvement, as indexed by GMFCS level, may be at risk for increased pain (intensity, frequency and duration) that interfers with activities of daily living. The clinical index of suspicion should be raised accordingly when evaluating children with developmental disability who cannot self-report reliably.
authors.forename: Chantel C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Barney
authors.forename: Linda E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Krach
authors.forename: Patrick F
authors.initials: PF
authors.lastname: Rivard
authors.forename: John L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Belew
authors.forename: Frank J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Symons
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D002547:Cerebral Palsy / Q000150:complications*; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009048:Motor Skills; D059352:Musculoskeletal Pain / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology*; D010290:Parents; D012720:Severity of Illness Index