Pain management is an important component of caring for adults with cerebral palsy. However, it’s the least understood comorbidity in the adult cerebral palsy population.

A study led by Mark Peterson, Ph.D., M.S., FACSM, a professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation at University of Michigan Health, found that adults living with cerebral palsy had a very high occurrence of pain, with 90% having a pain history and 74% having multiple diagnoses of pain coming from different origins such as the lower back, irritable bowels, joint arthritis and chronic headaches.

The research is published in the journal JAMA Neurology.