Detection of early symptoms of cumulativetrauma disorders among mothers of handicapped children: a pilot study.
Gulsah Kinali, Ferda Dokuztuğ Üçsular
PMID 29545677WHAT IT FOUND
Mothers of children with cerebral palsy who needed help with transfer and daily care had lower hand grip strength and lower wrist extensor muscle activity than mothers of healthy children.
This pilot does not show that caregiving caused the difference.
Key findings
01Mothers of children with cerebral palsy had lower hand grip strength than mothers of healthy children (7.0 ± 1.1 kg vs 28.5 ± 2.08 kg).
02Mothers of children with cerebral palsy had lower wrist extensor EMG values than mothers of healthy children (0.17 ± 0.02 mV vs 0.31 ± 0.08 mV).
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
This was a small pilot with 10 mothers of children with cerebral palsy and 10 mothers of healthy children, so it cannot establish cause. The paper says 2 subjects were excluded for poor EMG quality, while the tables show 10 mothers in each group, so the analysed sample is unclear. Lower grip strength and EMG were measured once; the study did not show that these findings became cumulative trauma disorders or symptoms. The paper notes confounders such as child height, age, types of work, access to food, and BMI, but does not report adjusting for them. Mothers were selected because their children needed help with transfer and daily care, so results may not apply to mothers of children who are more independent.
Declared interests
No funding or conflict-of-interest declaration is included in the supplied text.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that caring for a child with cerebral palsy caused cumulative trauma disorder or that preventive physiotherapy, rehabilitation, or assistive technology will prevent it. The study was a small pilot and only measured lower grip strength and wrist muscle activity at one time.