Skip to main content

Main menu

  • Content
    • Current Issue
    • Advance Access
    • Archive
    • Supplements
    • Special Collections
    • Topic Collections
  • For Authors
    • Instructions for Authors
    • Tips for Writing About Programs in GHSP
      • Local Voices Webinar
      • Connecting Creators and Users of Knowledge
    • Submit Manuscript
    • Publish a Supplement
    • Promote Your Article
    • Resources for Writing Journal Articles
  • About
    • About GHSP
    • Editorial Team
    • Advisory Board
    • FAQs
    • Instructions for Reviewers

User menu

  • My Alerts

Search

  • Advanced search
Global Health: Science and Practice
  • My Alerts

Global Health: Science and Practice

Dedicated to what works in global health programs

Advanced Search

  • Content
    • Current Issue
    • Advance Access
    • Archive
    • Supplements
    • Special Collections
    • Topic Collections
  • For Authors
    • Instructions for Authors
    • Tips for Writing About Programs in GHSP
    • Submit Manuscript
    • Publish a Supplement
    • Promote Your Article
    • Resources for Writing Journal Articles
  • About
    • About GHSP
    • Editorial Team
    • Advisory Board
    • FAQs
    • Instructions for Reviewers
  • Alerts
  • Find GHSP on LinkedIn
  • Visit GHSP on Facebook
  • RSS
COMMENTARY
Open Access

The Case for Parent-Implemented Programs to Mitigate Musculoskeletal Complications in Children With Severe Cerebral Palsy in Resource-Limited Settings

Shayne R. van Aswegen, Mark T. Richards and Brenda M. Morrow
Global Health: Science and Practice December 2024, 12(6):e2300463; https://doi.org/10.9745/GHSP-D-23-00463
Shayne R. van Aswegen
aDepartment of Paediatrics and Child Health, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • For correspondence: shaco2@me.com
Mark T. Richards
aDepartment of Paediatrics and Child Health, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Brenda M. Morrow
aDepartment of Paediatrics and Child Health, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
PreviousNext
  • Article
  • Figures & Tables
  • Info & Metrics
  • Comments
  • PDF
Loading

Key Messages

  • Children with cerebral palsy in resource-limited settings are at increased risk of developing musculoskeletal deformities that diminish their quality of life.

  • Program managers should equip caregivers to implement basic prevention strategies to help ensure social participation and inclusion.

  • Policymakers should prioritize scalable and sustainable home-based training and the development of locally produced, low-cost technologies for program implementation.

INTRODUCTION

Cerebral palsy (CP) is a leading cause of childhood motor disability worldwide. Secondary musculoskeletal (MSK) complications of CP are common and can further incapacitate children functionally and restrict their participation in ordinary life. Conventional, comprehensive management approaches for preventing complications of CP require regular access to specialized and coordinated medical interventions, rehabilitation, and equipment, all of which may be scarce or unavailable in resource-limited settings (RLSs).1 In this article, we present the case for a standardized home-based program aimed at preventing secondary MSK complications in children with severe CP living in RLSs.

The current birth prevalence of CP in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) is estimated to be as high as 3.4 per 1000 births, compared to 1.6 per 1000 live births in high-income countries (HICs).2 Due to differences in maternal and perinatal health and the particular risk factors for CP in LMICs, these countries also tend to have higher proportions of children with more severe subtypes of CP,3 including bilateral spastic and dyskinetic presentations4–7 (i.e., more children functioning at the non- or partially ambulant Gross Motor Function Classification System levels [GMFCS III to V]).8 Although their MSK systems usually appear to be radiologically normal at birth, children with such severe neurological impairments are at increased risk of developing MSK complications, including hip displacement, muscle contractures, and scoliosis,9 which often present before the age of 5 years.10 Figure 1 shows the extent of MSK …

View Full Text
PreviousNext
Back to top

In this issue

Global Health: Science and Practice: 12 (6)
Global Health: Science and Practice
Vol. 12, No. 6
December 20, 2024
  • Table of Contents
  • About the Cover
  • Index by Author
Print
Download PDF
Article Alerts
Sign In to Email Alerts with your Email Address
Email Article

Thank you for your interest in spreading the word about Global Health: Science and Practice.

NOTE: We only request your email address so that the person you are recommending the page to knows that you wanted them to see it, and that it is not junk mail. We do not capture any email address.

Enter multiple addresses on separate lines or separate them with commas.
The Case for Parent-Implemented Programs to Mitigate Musculoskeletal Complications in Children With Severe Cerebral Palsy in Resource-Limited Settings
(Your Name) has forwarded a page to you from Global Health: Science and Practice
(Your Name) thought you would like to see this page from the Global Health: Science and Practice web site.
CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.
Citation Tools
The Case for Parent-Implemented Programs to Mitigate Musculoskeletal Complications in Children With Severe Cerebral Palsy in Resource-Limited Settings
Shayne R. van Aswegen, Mark T. Richards, Brenda M. Morrow
Global Health: Science and Practice Dec 2024, 12 (6) e2300463; DOI: 10.9745/GHSP-D-23-00463

Citation Manager Formats

  • BibTeX
  • Bookends
  • EasyBib
  • EndNote (tagged)
  • EndNote 8 (xml)
  • Medlars
  • Mendeley
  • Papers
  • RefWorks Tagged
  • Ref Manager
  • RIS
  • Zotero
Share
The Case for Parent-Implemented Programs to Mitigate Musculoskeletal Complications in Children With Severe Cerebral Palsy in Resource-Limited Settings
Shayne R. van Aswegen, Mark T. Richards, Brenda M. Morrow
Global Health: Science and Practice Dec 2024, 12 (6) e2300463; DOI: 10.9745/GHSP-D-23-00463
del.icio.us logo Twitter logo Facebook logo Mendeley logo
  • Tweet Widget
  • Facebook Like
  • Google Plus One

Statistics from Altmetric.com

Jump to section

  • Article
    • INTRODUCTION
    • THE CHALLENGES OF CEREBRAL PALSY MANAGEMENT IN RESOURCE-LIMITED SETTINGS
    • IMPROVING CARE FOR CHILDREN WITH CEREBRAL PALSY IN RESOURCE-LIMITED SETTINGS
    • POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS AND IMPLICATIONS
    • CONCLUSION
    • Author contributions
    • Funding
    • Competing interests
    • Notes
    • REFERENCES
  • Figures & Tables
  • Info & Metrics
  • Comments
  • PDF

Related Articles

  • No related articles found.
  • PubMed
  • Google Scholar

Cited By...

  • No citing articles found.
  • Google Scholar

More in this TOC Section

  • People that Deliver: Established to Address the Health Supply Chain Workforce Gap
  • mHealth and Digital Innovations as Catalysts for Transforming Mental Health Care in Ghana
  • No Matter When or Where: Addressing the Need for Continuous Family Planning Services During Shocks and Stressors
Show more COMMENTARY

Similar Articles

Subjects

  • Health Topics
    • Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health
Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs

Follow Us On

  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • RSS

Articles

  • Current Issue
  • Advance Access Articles
  • Past Issues
  • Topic Collections
  • Most Read Articles
  • Supplements

More Information

  • Submit a Paper
  • Instructions for Authors
  • Instructions for Reviewers

About

  • About GHSP
  • Advisory Board
  • FAQs
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact Us

© 2025 Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. ISSN: 2169-575X

Powered by HighWire