Presence and predictors of pain after orthopedic surgery and associated orthopedic outcomes in children with cerebral palsy

Abstract

While children with cerebral palsy (CP) may undergo 8‐22 orthopedic surgeries in their lifetime, little is known about the associated pain. We aimed to assess the pain presence before and one year after lower extremity orthopedic surgery, predictors of pain presence at follow‐up, and the association between pain and orthopedic outcomes related to surgery. This retrospective study included 86 children with CP (M age = 10.0 years, SD = 3.2; range = 4.1‐17.3 years, Gross Motor Functional Classification System (GMFCS) level I‐III) who underwent orthopedic surgery and had completed questionnaires at gait analyses before (M = 2.7 months; range = 0.0‐5.7) and after surgery (M = 11.8 months; range = 9.0‐14.9). Pain presence, location, and Pediatric Outcomes Data Collection Instrument (PODCI) scores were documented before and after surgery at gait analyses. Pain prevalence was 60% at baseline and 56% at follow‐up. Significant predictors of pain presence at follow‐up included (1) pain presence at baseline (range of odds ratios [OR] across any/all locations = 3.22 to 15.54), (2) older age (range of OR for any pain, back, knee, and foot pain = 1.24‐1.26), (3) female sex (decreased OR for males for ankle pain = 0.12), (4) having hip surgery (decreased OR for foot pain = 0.20), and (5) lower GMFCS level (OR for foot pain = 0.41). Changes in PODCI Sports and Physical Function scores were associated with changes in hip and knee pain (P < .03); PODCI scores worsened for patients who had pain at both time points and improved for patients who had pain at baseline but not follow‐up. Pain was present for over half of the participants before and after orthopedic surgery. Pain presence at follow‐up was predicted by pain presence at baseline. Pain and functional outcomes were correlated at follow‐up. Prospective studies examining perioperative pain experience and factors predicting pain outcomes are warranted.