Gait

Background: Pain is common in children with cerebral palsy (CP) and research has shown that pain in childhood negatively influences individuals’ participation in later years. This emphasises that educators and clinicians working with children need to know how to manage the children’s pain to ensure participation in classroom activities. The goal of pain management is to facilitate children’s participation. Aim: This study investigated how educators and clinicians in South African school settings respond to children’s need for pain management in an attempt to enable the children to be active participants in school activities, despite their pain. Method: The study followed a qualitative design according to Hsieh and Shannon, and in total 38 educators or clinicians participated in five different focus groups. The educators and clinicians worked in government schools in the Gauteng province (Johannesburg and Pretoria). Results: Two strategies of management emerged, i.e., accommodation and treatment. There was a risk of neglecting older children when available resources were provided to the youngest in first hand. Access to services was a challenge, and highlighted in the focus groups. Treatment related to hip dislocation was frequently mentioned in the focus groups. Conclusion: This study stresses that it is important to train educators and clinicians in pain management and to implement structured models for pain management to ensure that best practices are adhered to for children with CP who suffer from chronic pain. Difficulties in pain management were also observed, mostly because the level of hip dislocations.