TY - JOUR

T1 - Non-pharmacological and non-surgical treatment of pain in children and adolescents with cerebral palsy

T2 - A scoping review

AU - Flyckt, Natasja

AU - Wong, Christian

AU - Michelsen, Josephine Sandahl

PY - 2022

Y1 - 2022

N2 - PURPOSE: To explore the existing literature on non-pharmacological and non-surgical pain management in children and adolescents with cerebral palsy (CP).METHODS: Databases (Cochrane Library, PubMed MEDLINE, Ovid Embase, and PsycINFO) were systematically searched to identify literature on non-pharmacological and non-surgical interventions for relieving pain in children with CP or similar conditions.RESULTS: Thirteen publications met the inclusion criteria. Based on study designs, the overall level of evidence of the included studies was low, justifying the use of a scoping review. Only three were randomized controlled trials. Pain reduction was reported in 8 of the 13 studies from following interventions: physiotherapy/rehabilitation, massage, cranial osteopathy, swimming and aquatics, and assistive devices. These complementary strategies should not omit conventional treatment, and a multidisciplinary approach using multifaceted treatment of pharmacological and non-pharmacological therapy is recommended to increase the pain-relieving effect.CONCLUSION: The results indicate that physiotherapy, massage, swimming exercise, and various assistive devices can have pain-relieving effects. We found limited evidence on the topic of non-pharmacological and non-surgical treatment of pain in children with CP. Due to the lack of power in the included studies, no true evidence-based recommendations can be made from the collected articles; thus, further studies with larger cohorts and more power are needed to substantiate evidence-based treatment of pain in children and adolescents with CP.

AB - PURPOSE: To explore the existing literature on non-pharmacological and non-surgical pain management in children and adolescents with cerebral palsy (CP).METHODS: Databases (Cochrane Library, PubMed MEDLINE, Ovid Embase, and PsycINFO) were systematically searched to identify literature on non-pharmacological and non-surgical interventions for relieving pain in children with CP or similar conditions.RESULTS: Thirteen publications met the inclusion criteria. Based on study designs, the overall level of evidence of the included studies was low, justifying the use of a scoping review. Only three were randomized controlled trials. Pain reduction was reported in 8 of the 13 studies from following interventions: physiotherapy/rehabilitation, massage, cranial osteopathy, swimming and aquatics, and assistive devices. These complementary strategies should not omit conventional treatment, and a multidisciplinary approach using multifaceted treatment of pharmacological and non-pharmacological therapy is recommended to increase the pain-relieving effect.CONCLUSION: The results indicate that physiotherapy, massage, swimming exercise, and various assistive devices can have pain-relieving effects. We found limited evidence on the topic of non-pharmacological and non-surgical treatment of pain in children with CP. Due to the lack of power in the included studies, no true evidence-based recommendations can be made from the collected articles; thus, further studies with larger cohorts and more power are needed to substantiate evidence-based treatment of pain in children and adolescents with CP.

KW - Cerebral palsy

KW - children

KW - pain

KW - rehabilitation

KW - non-pharmacological pain relief

KW - RECURRENT MUSCULOSKELETAL PAIN

KW - MENTAL-HEALTH

KW - MANAGEMENT

KW - COMPLEMENTARY

KW - INTERVENTIONS

KW - ACUPUNCTURE

KW - BENEFITS

KW - THERAPY

KW - LIFE

U2 - 10.3233/PRM-210046

DO - 10.3233/PRM-210046

M3 - Review

C2 - 35275574

VL - 15

SP - 49

EP - 67

JO - Journal of Pediatric Rehabilitation Medicine

JF - Journal of Pediatric Rehabilitation Medicine

SN - 1874-5393

IS - 1

ER -