LONDON - Many wheelchair-bound children with neurological disorders have much colder hands and feet than other kids and most receive no special help, says a report.

“These children have a disorder that can make it difficult to express how they feel, but it must be unpleasant to have cold hands and feet,” says study author and physiotherapist Lena Svedberg of Sahlgrenska Academy University of Gothenburg, Sweden.

The thesis shows that skin temperature in brain-damaged pre-school children in wheel chairs was several degrees lower than in children without neurological disorders.

The temperature of their feet was three degrees lower and their hands two degrees lower than children without brain damage.

The reason for their cold extremities may be that the brain damage affects the part of the nervous system that is not controlled by the will and 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,” says Svedberg.

There is currently no established treatment for cold hands and feet, but a small pilot study - also part of the thesis - demonstrates that acupuncture might be effective, says a Sahlgrenska Academy release.

“Acupuncture activates the nerve fibres that lead inwards and can affect activity in the autonomic nervous system,” says Svedberg.

“We could see that treatment raised skin temperature in some children with neurological disorders, but it is a very small study and more research is needed.”