Motor function predicts parent-reported musculoskeletal pain in children with cerebral palsy

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). To determine whether a predictive relationship between motor function and musculoskeletal pain exists in children with CP. 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. GMFCS level significantly predicted parent-reported musculoskeletal pain frequency (P