Outcomes of an exercise program for pain and fatigue management in adults with cerebral palsy

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this exploratory pilot study was to examine the effect of exercise on pain and fatigue in adults with CP. Method: Twenty-six participants (12 ambulatory, 14 non-ambulatory; 10 males, 16 females; mean age 42.3 ± 11.2 years) enrolled in a study using a repeated measures design including baseline, intervention and follow-up phases of 12 weeks each; 20 participants completed all phases. Primary outcome measures used were the FACES pain scale, the count of body parts with pain and the PedsQL™ Multidimensional Fatigue Scale. Results: Significant beneficial changes were found in the pain and fatigue scales among the ambulatory participants during the intervention phase. However the beneficial changes diminished during the follow-up phase. Secondary outcomes examined included, pain interference, daily physical activity and health-related quality of life. Conclusion: Study outcomes suggest that exercise may provide some benefit for ambulatory adults with CP.Implications for RehabilitationPain and fatigue are secondary conditions experienced by many adults with cerebral palsy which have a significant impact on function and quality of life.Physical activity is an intervention which has been demonstrated to decrease both pain and fatigue in other health conditions.In a relatively small sample, this study demonstrates decreased pain and fatigue after an exercise intervention in ambulatory adults with cerebral palsy.