Physical therapy services used less compared with peers without cerebral palsy matched by musculoskeletal disorder diagnoses
TUESDAY, June 8, 2021 (HealthDay News) — Older adults with cerebral palsy (CP) and musculoskeletal (MSK) disorders have lower use of physical therapy (PT) services compared with their peers without CP, according to a study recently published in Disability and Health Journal.
Deborah Thorpe, P.T., Ph.D., from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and colleagues used Medicare claims data from 2011 to 2014 to compare the presence of comorbidities and patterns of PT and occupational therapy (OT) use among matched older adults with and without CP (8,796 individuals and 5,613,384 individuals, respectively) seeking care for MSK disorders.
The researchers found that in older adults with a diagnosed MSK disorder, less than a third regularly utilized PT and/or OT services. Adults with CP utilized significantly less PT than adults without CP, and for some MSK diagnoses, they had fewer visits than their matched peers. There was a greater risk for secondary conditions that influence morbidity, mortality, and quality of life among older adults with CP compared with their age-matched peers without CP.
“The results are staggering, but they support our hypothesis that people with cerebral palsy receive inequitable health care,” a coauthor said in a statement.
Abstract/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Onset of Mortality, Morbidity Delayed for Offspring of Centenarians 
Acute Myeloid Leukemia Increasingly Impacting Older Adults Globally 
Habitual Fasting May Be Harmful for Older Adults 
Heart Stress Based on NT-proBNP Changes May Improve CVD Risk Stratification 
Obesity Has Increased Significantly in U.S. Adults and Youths Since 1999 
Male Sex, Older Age Predict Poor Outcomes in Seniors With HFmrEF/HFpEF 
Variation in Regular Physical Activities Best for Lower All-Cause Mortality 
Smartwatch-Based Screening Improves Detection of New-Onset A-Fib 
