Hi everybody-

I have always thought and the litrature I have read and evidence I have seen
seems to suppport this that any pain experienced is usualy of a secondary
nature...often refured to in litrature as a "secondary disability" which is
sometimes caused in part by the "primary disability--in this case-- cerebral
palsy".

Now some people with spastic CP have a tendency to dislocate hips --which is
very painful--but the pain is caused by the disclocated hip wich in my mind
is seprate from the cerebral palsy even though the hip dislocation itself is
caused by CP.   I know that sounds very wierd in the logic department but in
my mind it dosen;t make any since to do otherwise...unless you say cerebral
palsy hip displasia (which is how it is writen in medical litrature)...beause
in my point of view it is a sub disability of the overall disability CP...and
CP dosen't hurt (like say arthritis or something) but some of the "sub
disabilities" such as CP hip displasia --or to be exact as I saw it on an
othopedic website recently "Spastic Cerebral Palsy Hip Displasia"-- and
scoliosis (depending on saverity) do.  Can you tell I have a pet-peeve about
labels.

Now back to my introductry pargraph to explain "seconday disabilities" as
oppose to something can be described a "sub-disability" as discribed in the
above paragrah.  For example beacuse of the diffcult time I have saytaying
still enought to read--due to athetoid and ataxic cerebral palsy--I tend to
lean over a book and put both of my whole foream on the tabel in order to try
to stay still enough to read...even if it is on a bookstand--because of many
years of this what i term just for simplisity "CP stress" or using muscles
and joints in a way that they wern't constructed for lead to a faster joint
deterioration of my sholders and neck which has been diagnosed as mild
osteoarthritis (which would be a "secondary disability"
caused-in-part/brought on by the "primary" disability).  By the way this
showed up when I was 16.  Now "CP Stress" and aging has also caused me to
have a great deal more fatige and many of the other things associated with
cerebral palsy and aging.  I feel that I great deal of reseach needs to be
done in the area of adults with cp and I have said this time and time again
on this list.

Yours,
Anee
Webmaster of CPIC
http://www.geocities.com/aneecp/CPIC.html

In a message dated 10/29/1999 9:58:42 AM Central Daylight Time,
[log in to unmask] writes:

<< Howdy folks!

 I have what might be a stupid question.  I've been reading the posts about
 the Baclofen pump, and I am wondering: is pain due to CP itself, or to
 secondary issues as a result of CP -- like joint stress or whatever?

 Please forgive me for asking such a boneheaded question, but I would like to
 learn more if I can.

 Thanks for being patient with me!
 Betty >>