Ed Hurvitz, MD, Mary Gannotti, PT, PhD, and Jodi Kreschmer, MSW will present on pain and functional changes in adults with CP

The Cerebral Palsy Research Network is excited to announce that this month’s webinar will be on Monday, June 24 at 8 pm ET and it will focus on functional changes in adults with cerebral palsy (CP) and research findings about functional changes and pain. The webinar will be presented by the CP Research Network adult study group co-chairs Ed Hurvitz, MD, Professor, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and Mary Gannotti, PT, PhD, along with researcher and CP Research Network Community Action Committee member Jodi Kreschmer, MSW. We have organized the Adult Study Group to advance research for adults with CP.

There is a lack of information about what happens to adults with cerebral palsy as they get older. Many adults with cerebral palsy and clinicians are not aware of how and why their abilities to use their arms, legs, and to communicate may change with age. We will describe some of the reasons for these changes uncovered by our research and what questions you may want to ask your providers.

There is very limited information about how people with different abilities, with different clinical characteristics, and from different backgrounds experience functional changes and pain when they have cerebral palsy. The Cerebral Palsy Research Network Community Registry Adult Surveys on Function and Pain provide some insight about this. Please help us improve our understanding of what people with CP are experiencing in adulthood by becoming a part of our community registry. The registry gathers data on people with CP and their self-reported experiences. Our MyCP Webinar Series is intended to translate those research findings to be meaningful to community members.

The topics covered in our webinar will help participants be able to identify the reasons why adults with CP may experience functional changes or pain with aging and describe how common these changes are among other adults with CP. In addition, they will learn to identify ways to reduce the impact of pain and functional decline.

We will also discuss exercises and pain treatments you may be able to do at home, and provide you with resources to help you manage your health. We are hoping people will be inspired to participate in the Community Registry Adult Surveys on Function and Pain to help us gain more insights into supporting adults with cerebral palsy

Interested community members and clinicians can join this free webinar by registering with this link or below. Subscribers to our monthly webinar series will receive a link in email this coming Friday, June 21.