Neuropathic pain in cerebral palsy and related genetic conditions: A scoping review of prevalence, characteristics, and management

Pain is very common in people with cerebral palsy, but the type of pain they experience is not always clear. One type that may be overlooked is neuropathic pain, which is pain linked to changes or damage in the nervous system. This type of pain is often described as burning, tingling, electric shock like, numb, or unusually sensitive to touch. Recognising neuropathic pain is important because it may respond to different treatments than other kinds of pain. In this review, we examined published research on neuropathic pain in cerebral palsy and related conditions that can look similar to cerebral palsy. We found 25 studies, all focused on people with cerebral palsy. No studies explored neuropathic pain in related genetic conditions, showing a major gap in current research. The studies suggested that neuropathic pain does occur in some people with cerebral palsy, including after surgeries such as multilevel orthopaedic procedures or selective dorsal rhizotomy. Some studies also linked neuropathic pain with sleep problems, reduced movement, emotional distress, and challenges with daily activities. However, most studies were small and used different methods to identify pain, making it difficult to compare findings or understand how common this type of pain truly is. Only a small number of studies used recognised assessment tools designed for neuropathic pain.