Sensory foam lowered exercise-related symptom scores in children with cerebral palsy
A randomized trial found greater pain and anxiety reductions with foam added to exercise; the size of those changes remains unclear.
Based on the published abstract. The full paper may contain additional methods, results and limitations.
The 30-second takeaway
Children receiving multisensory foam during exercise had greater reductions in pain and anxiety scores than children receiving routine exercise alone. Assessments compared symptoms before and after exercise. The abstract supports a signal for session-related symptom relief, but does not show the size of the improvement or whether it lasted.
The abstract gives no mean score changes, confidence intervals, intervention schedule or adverse-event results. The size, durability and safety of the approach therefore remain unclear from this summary.
What researchers found
Pain and anxiety scores
Foam plus routine exercise versus exercise alone, comparing assessments before and after exercise; the group-by-time differences were statistically significant. Scales measured pain and anxiety separately.
Separate symptom measures
Pain was measured with the Wong-Baker Faces Pain Rating Scale, while anxiety used the Children's Anxiety Scale. These assessed symptoms; broader improvements in cerebral palsy function were not reported.
Comparing changes between groups
The researchers compared changes within each group and between groups. The between-group analysis supports the reported symptom difference, but missing score changes make its practical importance difficult to judge.
The original publication
The effect of multisensory stimulation on exercise related pain and anxiety in children with cerebral palsy: A randomized controlled study.
Kos FM, Arıcıoğlu Sülün A, Akdeniz Kudubeş A
J Pediatr Nurs · 2026
- PubMed ID
- 41418423
- Record checked
AI-assisted research and writing. This explains one selected publication; it is not a complete review of everything known. Our approach.
One more question, understood.
Keep track of the research you’ve explored.