GOTHENBURG, Sweden, Oct. 20 (UPI) -- Children with neurological disorders, who use wheelchairs, receive little help for their cold hands and feet, a Swedish researcher said.
Lena Svedberg, a physiotherapist at Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden, found skin temperature in brain-damaged preschool children in wheelchairs were several degrees lower than children without brain damage.
Svedberg said the reason for their cold extremities may be the brain damage affects the part of the nervous system -- not controlled by the will -- which, among other things, regulates blood circulation, digestion and sleep.
"This hypothesis is supported by a study in the thesis that shows that children with cerebral palsy who had cold hands and feet also had problems with constipation, sleeping disorders, pain and impaired well-being," Svedberg said in a statement.
There has been no established treatment for cold hands and feet, but a small pilot study -- also part of Svedberg's thesis -- demonstrates acupuncture might be effective, Svedberg said.
