Chronic pain is a significant health issue among youth with physical disabilities, but has been studied less than it has been in adults. Now, researchers have found that various aspects of young people’s daily lives can be affected by both the intensity and location of the pain in their…
Exercise leads to improvements in the health and overall well-being of wheelchair-dependent children and young adults, including those with cerebral palsy, and needs to be better promoted though more rigorous study, a review article argues. These conclusions, based on a review of some 30 published reports, were in the study, “…
The volume of brain tissue in children with cerebral palsy is significantly reduced compared to children without the disease, especially with regard to brain gray matter, a new study from researchers in Poland reports, and suggests the loss in gray matter volume is linked to neuronal degeneration and damage. The study, “…
Posture in children with cerebral palsy (CP) improves through visual cues, new research from Sweden indicates, suggesting that muscle quality is not the only contributor to better posture in kids with CP. The article,“The role of visual stimuli on standing posture in children with bilateral cerebral palsy,“ appeared Aug. 17…
Researchers in India who studied bone health in children with moderate to severe spastic quadriplegia have determined that nutrition plays a key role in bone maturation and strength. The research report, “Skeletal Maturation and Mineralisation of Children with Moderate to Severe Spastic Quadriplegia,“ appeared in the…
Children with disabilities may need particular attention to their dental care, according to a new study from researchers in Spain. The research report detailing the findings is titled “Oral health in children with physical (Cerebral Palsy) and intellectual (Down Syndrome) disabilities: Systematic review I,“ and the study…
A new study suggests that video games might improve upper body movement in children with cerebral palsy (CP) and adherence to physical therapy. The report, “Using Free Internet Videogames in Upper Extremity Motor Training for Children with Cerebral Palsy,“ appeared in the journal Behavioral…
Botulinum toxin may be best known as a poison, or as a cosmetic treatment to reduce wrinkles called Botox. But the toxin is sometimes used to reduce muscle spasticity in children with cerebral palsy (CP), and a recent study evaluated a new clinical device that might assess the effectiveness of botulinum toxin injections in kids with CP. The…
Up-to-date demographic trends and the prevalence of children being born with cerebral palsy (CP) in the United States were the focus of a recent study, “Birth Prevalence of Cerebral Palsy: A Population-Based Study,“ that appeared in the journal Pediatrics. A research team led by Kim Van Naarden Braun…