Longitudinal Patterns of Postfracture Outpatient Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy Use and Its Association With 3-Year Mortality Among Adults With Cerebral Palsy.

As children with CP age into and throughout their adult years, their use of rehabilitation services, including physical therapy and occupational therapy, dramatically declines despite the need for continued rehabilitation across the lifespan. This study characterized longitudinal physical therapy or occupational therapy use patterns in the 6 months following a fragility fracture among adults with CP and found that nearly 3 in 4 adults with CP had little to no physical therapy or occupational therapy use during this critical window to optimize postfracture health and function. Further, those who more regularly used physical therapy or occupational therapy services, regardless of the timing of initiation (early versus later), had significantly improved survival up to 3 years after fracture, suggesting the need for greater access to and delivery of clinical rehabilitation services.