Only a neuropathologist can diagnose hypertension in infants. But parents must be extremely attentive to the baby’s condition, because they see him in different situations, and it is easier for them to notice deviations in behavior. Therefore, you need to know how to identify such a pathology and how to deal with it.

Reasons for appearance

Hypertonicity is observed in most newborns. And this is not surprising: after all, the baby grows and develops in the mother’s belly for many months, being in the fetal position. His head is pressed to his chest, his legs and arms are bent. The muscles get used to this position and strive to maintain it after the birth of the child. Such hypertonicity is physiological, and it is not at all dangerous. As the nervous system matures, the muscles relax and the problem goes away on its own. This usually happens by 3 months, maximum by six months.

But there are cases when hypertension in infants is a disorder of the body and requires treatment. The causes of the disease can be different:

• colds and infectious diseases in the mother;
• strong constant tone of the uterus during pregnancy;
• hypoxia;
• toxicosis in the first or last months;
• rapid or too long labor;
• umbilical cord entanglement;
• bad habits of a pregnant woman, such as smoking and drinking alcohol;
• hemolytic disease of the fetus, which occurs as a result of incompatibility of Rh factors or blood groups between mother and baby.

Consequences of hypertension

Whatever the reason, you should not think that hypertonicity is harmless and this problem can be ignored, unless we are talking about a physiological phenomenon. If the child is 3 months old and his fists are still clenched, and other symptoms are present, the magazine site recommends contacting a specialist. Otherwise, there is a high probability of encountering dangerous consequences:

• impaired coordination of movements;
• difficulties in activities related to the use of fine motor skills;
• ugly posture;
• curvature of the spine;
• speech problems;
• The baby will master motor skills much later than his peers;
• with increased tone in the child’s legs, an unnatural gait will form.

In addition, hypertonicity may be one of the signs of a more serious disease, such as increased intracranial pressure and even cerebral palsy. Therefore, parents should know what to look for so as not to miss this problem. The sooner you start treatment, the higher its effectiveness will be.

Signs of hypertension

Hypertonicity is usually not difficult to notice. The main thing is not to ignore the symptoms:

• sleep disorders - the baby sleeps little, often wakes up, cries in his sleep;
• when he lies, he tucks in his arms and legs, and throws his head back;
• when crying, the baby's chin trembles;
• the child reacts painfully to external stimuli, such as loud sounds or bright lights;
• he burps frequently;
• the baby has poor appetite;
• If you try to separate the child’s arms or legs, he will begin to worry and cry. When you try again, the muscle resistance will become even more pronounced.

To confirm or deny the presence of a problem, you need to conduct reflex tests. They are usually done by a doctor during an examination. But even parents can do simple exercises. Just all movements should be soft and careful so as not to injure the child.

Reflexes are tested as follows.

• You can try to sit the baby up, holding him by the arms. If at the same time it is difficult to remove them from the breast, then this is an alarming sign.
• Step reflex. A newborn is characterized by the following feature: if he is held under the arms and placed vertically on a support, he will begin to walk. But after 2 months this reflex should disappear.
• Support reflex. If a child is placed on a support, he should stand not on his tiptoes, but on his entire foot.
• Asymmetric and symmetric reflexes. After 3 months they should not be there. If you begin to press the baby’s head to his chest, then his legs will tend to accelerate, and his arms, on the contrary, will bend.
• The tonic reflex should also disappear after 3 months. It manifests itself like this: if a newborn is placed on his back, he straightens his arms and legs, and bends them on his tummy.

Even if parents suspect hypertonicity, only a specialist can make a diagnosis.

Development by age

There are development standards by which you can assess the health status of the baby. Of course, each child develops at an individual pace, but serious lag behind peers most likely means the presence of some kind of problem.

• 1 month. Hypertonicity in a one-month-old baby is normal. He clenches his fists, lying on his back, throwing his head back a little. If you try to separate the legs, you will feel resistance; the folds on them should be symmetrical. The tone of the flexor muscles is much stronger than that of the extensor muscles.
• By 3 months, hypertonicity disappears. There is no need to panic if some signs still persist: perhaps the baby needs a little more time. By this age, the child should be able to hold his head well and grasp the toy with an open palm.
• 6 months. By six months, the child almost completely adapts to living conditions that differ from those in the womb. Hypertonicity should go away completely by this point. The baby begins to confidently control his movements. It’s normal if he’s already rolling over, sitting, or trying to crawl.
• 9 months. At this age, hypertension can still be cured without serious medications, only with baths and massage. Therefore, if a baby has poor motor activity, then he definitely needs to be shown to a doctor. At this age, it is normal for children to sit, crawl, stand at a support, and walk along it.
• Year. If hypertension is still present, then continue medicinal baths, massage and other procedures. In cases where it persists by 1.5 years, additional examinations may be necessary.
• 3 years. Sometimes hypertension does not go away by this age. The baby walks on tiptoes and has impaired fine motor skills. But even now, continuing the course of treatment can correct the situation.
• 5-6 years. In 6% of children, hypertonicity persists by school age. Such kids walk on tiptoes, find it difficult to hold a hand, and they also learn learning material worse. In some cases, the child even receives a disability and attends a specialized school.

It’s good if increased tone is detected at an early age, up to a year. During this period, the brain and body are actively developing, so various problems can be easily corrected. Hypertonicity may not occur in all muscles. Often there is muscle tone only in the legs or arms. In any case, treatment is necessary.

Treatment of hypertension

Depending on the situation, the age of the child and related problems, different means are used for treatment:

• massage;
• electrophoresis;
• physiotherapy;
• paraffin;
• swimming;
• relaxing baths;
• medicines.

Often the doctor prescribes several procedures at the same time. For example, massage is combined with electrophoresis or paraffin boots, as well as pine baths in the evenings. Medicines are not always needed. They are usually prescribed if there is no noticeable improvement after other procedures. These can be B vitamins, drugs that help remove fluid, including from the head, as well as nootropic substances. It is important to find a doctor whom parents can trust and follow all his recommendations.

How to perform massage for hypertension

Massage for hypertension is the main treatment. If the problem is not caused by a serious neurological pathology, then massage is enough to relax the muscles. Starting from two weeks of age, mother and father can perform simple exercises with the baby to prevent muscle tone.

When identifying problems, a special massage is needed, and it is best to have it performed by a specialist. An experienced massage therapist knows how to control the pressure, taking into account the characteristics of each little patient. For the effect to be noticeable, you need to undergo a whole course of massage, usually 10 sessions. Several of these courses may be needed. They begin no earlier than 3 months.

Water helps relax muscles, and herbs enhance this effect. To cope with hypertension, the doctor may prescribe a course of pine baths, as well as valerian, sage, motherwort and other plants.

A warm and calm atmosphere is very important for the proper development of infants. Sometimes it happens that the baby does not perceive the stranger’s massage therapist at all, cries and bends over. There will be practically no result from such a procedure. In such cases, parents can do the massage themselves. It is advisable to contact a specialist who will help you remember the basic movements. It is important to do them correctly so as not to worsen the situation.

If the baby has increased muscle tone, then the following movements are used: rubbing, stroking, rocking...

The simplest massage that any parents can master looks like this.

1. With the back of your hand, stroke the baby's arms, legs, and back.
2. Place the baby on his stomach and stroke his back in a circular motion, moving from bottom to top. Then turn the baby onto his back and rub his arms and legs in the same way.
3. Take the child by the hand with one hand, and gently hold the forearm with the other. Shake lightly. Repeat for the other arm and then for the legs.
4. Hold the handles slightly above your wrist and gently rock them. Repeat for the legs, holding the shins.
5. Gently stroke the baby's limbs.

Massage of arms and legs

It is very important to remove the tone of a child’s legs. This will help form the correct gait. The baby will stop leaning on his tiptoes and will lean on his entire foot.

The massage should be done like this.

1. The child should lie on his back, with his legs facing the massage therapist. The specialist holds the baby’s leg with his left hand, and with his right hand makes light massage movements, moving from the lower leg to the thigh.
2. Then the master rubs the same area, moving linearly and in a spiral.
3. After this, they move on to stroking the foot. The direction should be from the toes to the heel. Then you need to lightly press the point under the child's middle finger and run your hand along the outer arch of the foot. At the same time, you can notice how the fingers straighten.
4. They rub each baby’s foot with their thumb, as if drawing figure eights on it.
5. Using the index and middle fingers, lightly stroke the leg from the toes to the ankle.
6. Rub the same area with careful movements.

After performing all these exercises, the massage therapist wraps his fingers around the child’s foot, holding the knee with his other hand and begins to bend and straighten the leg, using the knee and hip joints. Next, you should grab your shins with your hands and tap your feet on the table. Then spread your knees slightly to the sides, keeping your feet together.

When massaging the arms, you need to know that the external muscles with hypertonicity in newborns are weak, they need to be strengthened. To do this, they are pressed and vibrating movements are performed. The flexor muscles located on the inside of the arms, on the contrary, are tense. To relax them, stroking and rubbing are performed. You should also massage the baby's palms with light movements, carefully straightening the fingers.

• simultaneously and in turn they need to be raised and lowered;
• arms are spread to the sides several times and crossed on the chest;
• make circular movements;
• shake easily.

Parents' movements should be confident and at the same time soft. Even if the services of a massage therapist are used, in between courses of therapeutic massage, mom and dad must perform the procedure independently. Only regular exercise, and, if necessary, taking medications, will help cope with the problem.

Physiological hypertonicity in newborns is not dangerous; it will go away as the child grows up. But the symptoms cannot be ignored, especially if they do not disappear after 3 months. It is possible that this is a pathological condition that requires treatment. If you miss the moment, it will not be easy to correct the situation, and the consequences of increased muscle tone are very serious.

Even in healthy babies in the first months after birth, the brain and peripheral nervous system still continue to develop and are not able to function fully. Thus, medical statistics show that in 90% of cases, infants are diagnosed with increased muscle tone, which can be caused by both physiological reasons and serious disorders of the central nervous system. Today we will try to figure out how to recognize and prevent pathological hypertension in newborns.

Is hypertension normal or a cause for concern?

It is generally accepted that any changes in muscle tone in infants are caused by neurological problems, but this is not entirely true. In some cases, signs of hypertonicity are normal for a particular age of the child or are associated with his condition at the time of examination. In particular, hunger, intestinal colic, general hypothermia and other factors can lead to muscle overstrain.

It is noteworthy that up to three months, infants experience physiological hypertonicity of the flexor muscles. This is due to the fact that in the mother’s womb the child is in the fetal position: its limbs are bent - the legs are slightly apart and pressed to the tummy, and the arms are folded on the chest; the hands are clenched into tight fists. During the first months of life, the baby continues to maintain this body position. If the muscles are not too tense (if desired, you can easily straighten your limbs and unclench your fists), such muscle hypertonicity in newborns is not a dangerous symptom. After three months, muscle tone begins to gradually decrease and by the age of six months it reaches a state of normotonia.

The causes of pathological hypertonicity can be birth injuries, hypoxia (oxygen starvation), as well as the effects of toxic or infectious factors on the fetus during pregnancy, during childbirth or in the early postpartum period. In this case, increased muscle tone, as a rule, negatively affects the rate of motor development. In particular, hypertonicity in newborns often leads to improper formation of sensorimotor skills. It is possible that with age the child will develop orthopedic problems (impaired posture, gait).

In addition, increased tone may indicate quite dangerous neurological problems, including cerebral palsy, abnormalities of brain development, metabolic diseases, etc.

Signs of hypertension in newborns

This disorder can be easily identified by numerous external manifestations. Thus, a child suffering from hypertonicity behaves restlessly, constantly cries (while his chin trembles), sleeps little and poorly, reacts irritably even to quiet sounds and dim light, often burps after feeding, throws his head back and arches.

A characteristic sign of hypertonicity in newborns is a specific position during sleep: the baby’s head is tilted back, the limbs are tucked and pressed tightly against each other. If you try to carefully separate them, you may feel pronounced resistance, and repeated attempts will only result in its intensification and loud crying.

You can conduct a kind of test for hypertonicity while the baby is awake. To do this, take the child under the armpits, hold him, place him on a flat surface and tilt him slightly forward. For babies in the first months of life in this position, the innate automatic gait reflex is triggered: the baby begins to move its legs, as if walking. In this case, a healthy toddler stands on his entire foot, while one with increased muscle tone rests only on his toes. Walking on tiptoes is a classic diagnostic sign of disorders of the central nervous system and hypertension in newborns.

Massage for a newborn with hypertension and other treatment methods

The main methods of combating increased muscle tone in children are: massage, special gymnastics and swimming.

Massage for a newborn with hypertension can be done independently, after consulting with a doctor. A prerequisite is that all manipulations must be performed very gently and carefully.

Start massage movements from the baby's arms, move from the palms to the shoulders, without affecting the joints and elbow pits. Stroke your fingers and hands as if putting on gloves for your baby. Move to the baby's feet. The massage path runs from the feet to the legs and thighs. Taboo areas: knee pits and joints, inner thighs and groin area. Perform the following movements:

• Bend the baby's leg at the hip and knee joints. Take your foot in your palm and make several flexion-extension movements. Repeat the action 10 times on each leg;
• Draw a figure eight on the foot, starting from the base of the toes and making a cross in its center. Then stroke the heel, pressing slightly;
• Massage your toes, each individually. Upon completion of the manipulations, slowly stroke the foot, moving from the heel to the toes, be sure to bend them towards the back.

Another way to get rid of hypertension in newborns is therapeutic exercises. The purpose of each exercise is to stimulate motor activity and certain reflexes:

1. Lay your baby on his side and slowly stroke his back, moving along the spine from the buttocks to the neck. Do not press on the skin, just touch it lightly with your fingers. At the same time, the child will arch; 4.7 out of 5 (29 votes)

Normal, physiological hypertonicity occurs due to the fact that in the last months of pregnancy the baby is in a certain position - with the limbs drawn to the body, the chin pressed to the chest. After birth, this position remains for some time. Muscles begin to function properly by the age of six months, sometimes by a year.

Any factors that can influence the intrauterine development of the baby’s nervous system can lead to pathological muscle tone.

The main causes of hypertension:

• infectious diseases suffered by a woman during pregnancy;
• insufficient oxygen supply;
• intoxication due to smoking, drug use or;
• spinal injuries in the cervical region as a result of childbirth;
• Rhesus conflict between mother and child.

Signs of hypertension

The following signs of hypertonicity are the reason to contact a neurologist:

• the child tends to throw his head back;
• the head most of the time is lowered to one shoulder or turned in the same direction;
• a baby who is not even a month old holds his head up by himself;
• , he flinches at the sounds;
• attempts to unclench the limbs and fingers meet resistance, often painful for the baby.

As the child grows, the development of his body is asymmetrical - he better manipulates only one hand, in one direction, and tends to push off with one leg. A child with hypertonicity curls his toes and cannot fully stand on his foot, remaining on his toes.

If these symptoms of hypertonicity are detected, the baby should be shown to a pediatrician, who will determine the need to visit a neurologist.

Diagnostic measures

The initial diagnosis is based on observations of the infant's posture and movements. If the baby is pulled by the arms, they should straighten easily. When the muscles are too tight and hypertonicity is observed, the child’s body will begin to rise, and the arms will remain bent at the elbows. If the baby is positioned vertically, holding the head so that his feet touch the surface, he will rest on his full foot and his toes will be straightened.

To diagnose hypertonicity, the presence of the following innate reflexes is checked:

1. Automatic walking. If an infant is placed on his feet and slightly tilted forward, he reflexively takes a step.
2. When lying on his back, he straightens his spine and stretches his limbs; on his stomach, on the contrary, he bends his arms and legs.
3. Asymmetrical reflex. When the baby's head is rotated, the tone of the extensor muscles on this side increases, the limbs are straightened, on the opposite side of the body the tone of the flexor muscles is better, the leg and arm are bent.

Normally, these reflexes disappear by three months of age. If they remain longer, this indicates hypertonicity.

To differentiate whether hypertonicity is normal or dangerous, many neurologists insist on performing neurosonography. This ultrasound test detects birth defects in brain development. It can be carried out only for children under one year old when they are still open. Electromyography may also be prescribed, which allows you to assess the condition of the muscles and nerve endings in them.

How can you treat

The goal of treating hypertonicity is to eliminate excessive muscle tension, normalize nervous processes, and general strengthening. Usually a relaxing massage, gymnastics, physiotherapy, swimming pool exercises are prescribed, and in some cases the baby has to be treated with medication. The scope of treatment for hypertonicity is determined by a neurologist; exercises and massage should be carried out only by specialists.

Self-study with the child is possible only after detailed instructions, since incorrect movements will only aggravate the problem.

Physical exercise

Physical exercise is necessary to stimulate physical activity and reduce hypertonicity. A physical therapy doctor can familiarize you with the set of exercises, and subsequently they are allowed to be performed at home. You need to do gymnastics with your baby when he is calm and well-fed. If you cry or feel anxious, it is advisable to interrupt the exercises.

The complex begins with movements that promote relaxation. Take the baby horizontally in your arms and give him a fetal position. In this position, you need to rock the baby away from you and toward you 10-15 times. Then take it vertically and swing it left and right. Good for reducing motion sickness muscle tone. You need to put the baby's tummy on the ball and rock it evenly in different directions. At this time, you can gradually straighten the limbs in which hypertonicity is detected.

Then shake the arms and legs. To do this, take the baby’s limbs one by one (hands by the forearm, legs in the calf area) and make several gentle shaking movements. If the baby is relaxed enough, this exercise is easy and the fingers move well.

In conclusion, they perform extensions - from a position on the back, first the arms bent at the elbows are spread to the sides, and then straight, lift them up together and alternately, draw circles and figure eights with their fists. The same movements are performed with the legs.

The amplitude of extension is needed to be small so that gymnastics does not cause discomfort to the child. Gradually, the movements of the limbs become more free, then they can be extended more strongly. The best effect from gymnastics is achieved when performed daily.

Water treatments

Muscle hypertonicity is weakened in warm water in infants, so relaxing baths are used to treat it. To improve the effect, add motherwort, valerian, sage, eucalyptus, and conifers to the water. The course of treatment is usually 10 procedures and may include both plant collections and alternation of different herbs. They are selected by the attending physician depending on the child’s condition.

Swimming will also be useful for hypertension. At first, the child is placed in a regular bath, then you can visit the baby pool with him. To keep mom's hands free, it is convenient to use a special inflatable ring. Swimming can be combined with gymnastics; in warm water, movements are easier. Diving is prohibited for children with hypertonicity; it increases muscle tension.

Physiotherapy

The most commonly prescribed physiotherapeutic procedures are electrophoresis with relaxing drugs. Medicines are injected directly into the muscles using an electric field, removing their tone. Electrophoresis is performed in a physiotherapist's office and the procedure takes no more than 15 minutes. Despite the menacing name, the treatment is painless; the child will only feel a slight tingling sensation.

It is also possible to prescribe paraffin wraps; they are usually used for hypertonicity of the legs. The effect of using paraffin is achieved through deep and prolonged warming of the muscles, which helps to relax them.

Drug treatment

Medicines are prescribed only when the above methods are ineffective and hypertonicity persists for up to 6 months. As a rule, these are B vitamins, muscle relaxants and nootropics, which have a calming effect.

Muscle relaxants affect those parts of the brain that are responsible for motor activity, weaken hypertonicity and relieve spasms. The most commonly prescribed are Baclofen and Mydocalm.

Nootropics include Cortexin, Hopantenic acid, and Semax. They affect brain functions, improve impulse transmission, and eliminate excessive excitement.

The need for massage

The purpose of the massage is to relax the baby’s muscles and relieve spasms. Massage for infants with hypertonicity needs to be gentle, it is performed with light rubbing movements, without effort. You can only entrust your child to a professional massage therapist with a medical education. It is also obligatory to have a certificate in the specialty “Children's massage”. A course for hypertonicity usually lasts from 10 to 15 days, by the middle of it the first results should be visible.

Even parents can perform the simplest massage movements, but the effect is not comparable to when a professional massages a baby.

Home massage:

1. Stroking the fingers and toes with movements from the bases of the fingers to the nails.
2. Stroking the arms from the shoulders to the palms, thighs and legs towards the feet.
3. Gently rub the limbs and back in a circular motion.
4. Stroking the soles from heel to toes.
5. Lightly knead each finger individually.

Elements of such a relaxing massage can also be used in everyday communication between mother and baby and help improve their tactile contact.

What is the danger for the baby?

Hypertonicity is dangerous due to a number of consequences that persist into adulthood. A child with overstrained muscles develops physically worse than his peers, as he is forced to constantly overcome muscle resistance.

Insufficient development of fine motor skills negatively affects his speech and mental abilities. Hypertonicity during the growth period leads to incorrect posture, worsens gait, and curves the spine. In adulthood, lack of treatment results in back and neck pain.

Timely diagnosis and treatment of hypertonicity allows you to completely restore the baby’s nervous system and relax its muscles.

be careful: if the development is not noticed in time, in the future it will result in serious pathologies.

Hypertonicity is a violation of the muscle tone of the body, which is expressed in muscle overstrain. Almost all babies are born with severe muscle hypertonicity. After all, while inside the womb, the baby is constantly in the fetal position. The limbs and chin in this position are pressed closely to the body and the muscles of the fetus are constantly tense.

hypertension in children under one year old

Until about six months, the baby’s nervous system “learns” to work in conditions different from those in the womb. The baby gradually develops and slowly begins to control the movements of his muscles and skeleton. In a one-month-old baby, hypertonicity is very pronounced. This is reflected in clenched fists and bent legs, and in throwing the head back. The tone of the extensor muscles in a one-month-old baby is higher than the flexor muscles.

With physiological hypertonicity, the child’s legs move apart only 45 0 each. When moving your legs away, you feel a pronounced resistance to movement. By three months, muscle hypertonicity in a child without pathologies practically disappears. If muscle tension persists after your child reaches six months, you should immediately consult a doctor.

Symptoms of hypertension

Video:

Complications during pregnancy, birth injuries, Rh conflict, incompatibility of the blood of parents, residence in a poor environmental situation and many other factors will cause hypertension. It is worth paying close attention to the symptoms of hypertonicity, because this can be an expression of a serious neurological disease.

Signs of severe hypertension:

1. Restless and short sleep.
2. In the lying position, the head is thrown back, and the arms and legs are tucked.
3. When trying to separate the baby's legs or arms, strong resistance is felt. The child cries at the same time. Secondary dilution increases muscle resistance.
4. Vertically on a hard surface, the child tries to stand on the front part of the foot, that is, stands on tiptoes ( Information: ).
5. When crying, the child throws his head back, arches, and at the same time his chin muscles tremble ( See article ).
6. Frequent regurgitation.
7. Painful reaction to various stimuli: light, sound.
8. From birth, the baby “holds” his head due to constant tension in the neck muscles.

It is important to determine as early as possible that a child has hypertension. Finding at least one of the above symptoms in your baby is a good reason to contact a pediatric neurologist. The diagnosis of “hypertonicity” will be made if the flexion tone is higher than expected at a given age.

Muscle hypertonicity is determined by several reflex tests:

• Sitting by the hands: it is impossible to take the baby's hands away from the breast.
• Step reflex. When in an upright position, the child seems to be trying to take a step. Lasts after two months.
• Support reflex: a standing child leans on his toes.
• Preservation of asymmetric and symmetric reflexes after three months. When the child tilts his head to his chest while lying on his back, his arms bend and his legs straighten. When turning the head to the left in the same position, the left arm is extended forward, the left leg is extended, and the right leg is bent. When you tilt to the right, everything is repeated in a mirror image.
• Preservation of the tonic reflex after three months: lying on his back, the child straightens his limbs, and bends them on his stomach.

If by a certain age these reflexes do not weaken and do not disappear later, it means that the child has severe muscle hypertonicity. Therefore, it is necessary to consult a doctor.

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Consequences and danger

Why is hypertonicity so dangerous if its occurrence is caused by the position of the fetus itself? Physiological hypertonicity disappears without a trace after three months. Pathological hypertonicity is caused by damage to brain tissue, which is responsible for the condition of the muscles. Such disorders occur with increased intracranial pressure, perinatal encephalopathy, increased excitability and other pathologies.

muscle hypertonicity

If, after three months, hypertonicity in children persists, the consequences, in the absence of treatment, are disastrous. Lack of regulation of muscle tone will affect the further development of the child:

• Impaired coordination of movements;
• Formation of abnormal gait;
• Incorrect formation of posture;
• Developmental delays, especially motor skills;
• Speech impairment.

Hypertonicity of the legs

It is especially dangerous if the child develops severe hypertonicity in the legs. It affects the rate of development of motor activity. Children with this diagnosis later begin and. For children with hypertonicity of the legs, the use of and is especially contraindicated. These devices increase the state of tension in the muscles of the legs and spine due to the uneven distribution of gravity. The load increases specifically on the muscles of the pelvis and spine.

Hypertonicity of the arms

Hypertonicity of the arms is expressed in muscle resistance when moving the arms away from the chest and tightly clenched fists. This condition is most often observed with physiological hypertonicity. However, prolonged persistence of muscle tension should concern the child’s parents.

See video:

Treatment

Correct and timely treatment of hypertension is carried out exclusively by a specialist doctor - a pediatric neurologist. All procedures are prescribed only by the attending physician. The sooner you start treatment, the better and faster the positive results will appear.

There are several techniques and directions in medicine that allow you to relieve hypertension:

1. Relaxing massage.
2. Physiotherapy.
3. Electrophoresis.
4. Paraffin applications (heat therapy).
5. Swimming.
6. Drug treatment.

As can be seen from the list, to remove hypertension, medications are used last. These are drugs that relax muscles, reduce muscle tone and diuretics to reduce brain fluid levels. In addition to the massage, dibazole and B vitamins may be prescribed.

Massage

Massage for hypertonicity can be done independently at home starting from two weeks of age. Naturally, you first need to consult with a specialist in children's massage and get instructions and recommendations for massage from him. A total of ten sessions are carried out, which are best repeated again after six months.

The massage consists of three types of influence techniques: stroking, rubbing and rocking:

1. With the back of your hand we stroke the surface of your arms, legs and back. You can alternate superficial stroking with your fingers with grasping stroking with the whole brush.
2. Circular rubbing of the skin. The baby is placed on his tummy and rubbed in a circular motion with his fingers using stroke movements from bottom to top. Then the same is done with the limbs, turning the child onto his back.
3. Take the baby's hand and shake it slightly. In this case, you should definitely hold your hand in the forearm area. Carry out the procedure with both arms and legs.
4. Take the baby by the arms above the wrist and rhythmically swing his arms in different directions.
5. Grab the child's legs by the shins and rock them.
6. Finish the massage by gently stroking your arms and legs.

If you have hypertonicity, you should not use deep muscle kneading, patting or chopping techniques. All movements should be smooth and relaxing, but rhythmic.

Video: how to massage for hypertonicity

Baths

An excellent remedy for relieving hypertension are herbal baths. Water itself has a relaxing property, and in combination with herbs it becomes an excellent remedy for hypertension. Take turns for four days to take warm baths with valerian root, lingonberry leaf, motherwort and sage. A break is taken for one day, the procedures are repeated again, and so on for 10 days. Pine baths also have an excellent relaxing effect.

Often, parents at a doctor’s appointment hear about increased or decreased tone in their baby. What is it and how dangerous is it?

Let's start with the fact that by itself tone is not a diagnosis or disease. Tone is a slight constant pretension of a muscle, allowing it to be ready for intentional contraction at any time. Regulation of muscle tone is a very complex neurophysiological process, closely related to innate and acquired reflexes, the correctness of which depends on many factors. Regulation of tone is carried out at the reflex level with the participation of all parts of the brain: brain stem, subcortical nuclei and cortex.

In a newborn, the general tone of all muscles is evenly increased compared to adults and older children. This gives his body a characteristic appearance: the arms and legs are pressed to the body, the head is thrown back a little, and it is not possible to separate the limbs completely. All this is absolutely normal and goes away over time.

As the child grows, his muscle tone weakens, which gives the baby the opportunity to begin to actively move. He begins to move his arms, legs, take objects, raise his head. It is important that changes in tone occur correctly and simultaneously in all muscles. If, for example, the upper limbs are in high tone for a long time, it will be more difficult for the child to use them, and the corresponding skills will appear later. Long-term hypertonicity of the lower extremities can cause problems with learning to walk.

Until about 3-4 months, muscle tone remains high, then it begins to decrease - first in the flexor muscles (the arms and legs straighten), and by 5-6 months all muscles relax evenly, which gives the child the opportunity to make more complex movements – sit down, stand up and walk. By 18 months, the child’s muscle tone becomes comparable to that of an adult. If the baby lags behind his peers in development, the cause may be a violation of muscle tone.

What are the causes of tone disturbance?

The vast majority of tone disorders are associated with injuries and hypoxia during childbirth. Most often, the baby’s head and cervical spine are injured, which leads to disruptions in the functioning of the nervous system: the cerebral cortex and subcortical structures. Injury can occur during rapid and violent labor, as a result of unskilled actions of obstetricians, the use of the Kristeller maneuver (pressure on the abdomen during childbirth - prohibited in most countries, but periodically used in Russia), after stimulation of labor with oxytocin, the use of vacuum and forceps.

Prolonged oxygen starvation during childbirth also leads to damage to the nervous system and, first of all, the cerebral cortex. The stronger the injury or the longer the hypoxia was, the more severe the problems for the newborn. The most severe cases are manifestations of cerebral palsy - cerebral palsy, in which the child is practically deprived of the opportunity to develop normally.

How can a mother suspect a tone disorder?

Hypertonicity in newborns up to a month is physiological, that is, normal. A violation can be suspected by excessive tightness and stiffness of the baby, inappropriate for his age. If the tone is increased in the upper extremities, the baby does not reach for the toy, does not straighten his arms, his fists are tightly clenched most of the time, often in a “fig” shape. Hypertonicity of the lower extremities can be suspected if the child’s hips cannot be moved apart so that the angle between them is 90 degrees.

Low tone manifested by lethargy, weak movements of the arms or legs, drooping limbs (frog pose), sluggish movements and late development of age-related skills. If the tone is disturbed on one side, it is easy to notice by the asymmetry that appears on the limbs of one and the other side, as well as by the asymmetry of the folds. If you suspect your baby has a tone disorder, then first of all contact your pediatrician.

How does a doctor assess tone?

It can determine with high accuracy whether your baby’s tone is impaired or not. In doubtful cases, he will refer you to a pediatric neurologist. To check, the doctor will examine the baby externally, check his posture on the back and stomach, how he holds his head and moves his arms and legs. Then the doctor will check the baby's reflexes - they usually increase along with the tone. Reflexes such as crawling, grasping, sucking are present in young children and disappear by the age of 3 months. If they persist for too long, it may indicate a problem in the nervous system.
Next, the doctor will feel the baby’s limbs with his hands, determining how tense the muscles are. He will try to bend and straighten the baby's legs and arms, and also check the symmetry of these movements.

Norm – muscle tone and reflexes correspond to age, both sides are developed symmetrically.
Hypertonicity – increased muscle tone, the child is stiff and moves with difficulty.
Hypotonicity – decreased tone, muscles are relaxed, cannot contract with the required force, the child is lethargic.
Muscular dystonia – some muscles are in hypertonicity, others are in hypotonicity. The child takes unnatural positions and movements are also difficult.

What are the dangers of tone disorders?

The basis of any tone disorder is a problem in the nervous system. Tone is just one of its manifestations, the first and most obvious thing that can be noticed in a baby, since examination of vision, hearing and other more adult functions is not available to him. Problems with tone are always the result of a violation of the basic reflexes that regulate body movements. This means that along with their tone, coordination will be impaired in such children, age-related skills will develop worse, and they will lag behind their peers in development.

Later, due to impaired tonic reflexes, abnormalities occur in the musculoskeletal system: scoliosis, flat feet, club feet, etc. The severity of developmental delay and other disorders depends on the degree of brain damage. This is not always proportional to the severity of hypertonicity, which is why the child must be shown to a pediatric neurologist.

How to treat tone disorders in a child

In most cases, tone disorders respond well to treatment. The earlier the problem is identified, the better it can be dealt with, so it is very important to undergo routine examinations by a pediatrician and neurologist on time. To rule out a serious problem, the doctor may prescribe a brain examination using neurosonography for a detailed examination of its structures.

Treatment for tone disorders should be prescribed by a doctor and agreed with several specialists: pediatrician, neurologist, orthopedist. Lack of treatment will not lead to anything good; the child will not “outgrow” this problem. If the tone disorder is not treated, it will lead to developmental delays and problems with the musculoskeletal system.

Your doctor may prescribe a variety of treatment methods . Here are some of them:
Massage is a very common and often effective way to improve a baby’s condition with tone disorders. It is suitable for both hyper and hypotonicity, but is performed using different methods. For hypertonicity, a relaxing massage is prescribed, for hypotonicity, a tonic massage. It is better if the massage is performed by a specialist, but the mother herself can learn hygienic massage. Performing a light massage daily will be a very useful addition to the course from a specialist.
Aqua gymnastics is useful for any tone disorders. Warm water relaxes muscles, cool water stimulates. The child learns coordination and control of his body, all muscles are involved in the process.
Physiotherapy - this means exposure to heat (paraffin baths), electrophoresis, magnets.
Medications become necessary if the muscle spasm is very strong and cannot be relieved by other means.
Osteopathy is an extremely effective method of working with children after birth injuries, including manifestations of hypertonicity. Allows you to bring the bones of the skull and cervical spine of a newborn, displaced during childbirth, into the correct position. As a result, the shape of the skull is normalized, the mechanical causes of brain dysfunction are eliminated, and pathological reflexes disappear. Osteopathy has a mild effect, can be used in children from birth, and does not require long courses.