Low Back Pain in Athetoid Cerebral Palsy due to Lumbar Spondylolyses

Abstract

It is well known that cervical spondylosis in athetoid cerebral palsy results from abnormal muscle tension. However there is no information on low back pain in athetoid cerebral palsy. Sixty-one athetoid cerebral palsy workers were investigated by questionnaire.
Forty-one (67.2%) athetoid cerebral palsy workers had low back pain in daily life. X-ray examination was performed on 29 athetoid cerebral palsy workers. Lumbar spondylolyses were shown in 17 (58.6%). Endplate lesions of the lumbar vertebral body were found in 91 vertebras (53.5%). There were no significant differences between age and occurrence of low back pain or spondylolyses. These results suggest that abnormal athetoid mortion is related to the occurrence of the spondylolyses.