Musculoskeletal Disorders among the Mothers having Children with Cerebral Palsy

Author(s): Zannatul Mawa, Mohima Benojir, Ruksana Akter, Shameem Ahammad, Faruq Ahmed, Mohammad Nazmul Hasan, Nadia Afrin Urme*, Shahid Afridi

Background: Cerebral Palsy (CP) is a collection of mobility and postural problems. Parents, particularly mothers, care for CP children. Caring for a kid with CP can be physically taxing and cause moms to acquire musculoskeletal ailments. CP moms have a greater risk of musculoskeletal issues than mothers of generally developing children. There is little study on musculoskeletal issues in Bangladeshi moms of CP children. This study examined the frequency and symptoms of musculoskeletal diseases in Bangladeshi moms of CP children.

Purpose: To assess musculoskeletal disorders among mothers having a child with Cerebral Palsy. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at Centre for the Rehabilitation of the Paralysed (CRP) and a purposive sampling technique was used to select the sample. Data were collected from pediatrics unit of Savar and Mirpur under the Centre for the Rehabilitation of the Paralysed, Bangladesh. A total of 200 mothers recruited for this study followed by eligibility criteria. Primary outcome measurement common musculoskeletal symptoms among the mother of CP child which was measured by pain measures and Scandinavian Musculoskeletal System Questionnaire. Secondary outcome measurement includes socio-demographic characteristics, pain related information, common treatment taken by participants for musculoskeletal pain relief.

Results: Analysis demonstrated that prevalence of musculoskeletal problems among mothers of Cerebral palsy children was (78%). Common symptoms were lower back pain at 87.60% (n=127) followed by shoulder pain at 38.30% (n=31) and wrist pain at 29.60% (n=24). Among 200 mothers of CP children most (82.0%) participants complain that their symptoms were mostly worse during lifting and carrying 54.50% (n=109), transferring 33.30% (n=67), also some other factors are involved. Participants of the study were most commonly taking medications (89.70%) for symptom relief, some others take physiotherapy (16.10%), apply heat (13.80%), and homeopathy (1.10%).

Conclusion: In this study most of the mothers having children with cerebral palsy complain of musculoskeletal disorders. The child's age, and the caregiver’s work are influential factors in these disorders.