In every child, the brain structures and nervous system after birth still continue to develop and may not always function fully.. A very important indicator for diagnosing the condition of the baby in the first months of life is the state of muscle tone..

Muscle tone is a slight muscle tension necessary to quickly turn them on to working condition.. It is the level of tone that determines the readiness of the muscle complex to perform motor functions.. For each period of a child's development, there are physiological norms of tonic activity..

What is muscle hypertonicity in a child? Symptoms of muscle hypertonicity.

Almost all babies are born with severe muscle hypertonicity.. Indeed, during intrauterine development, the baby is constantly in the position of the embryo. The limbs and chin in this position are closely pressed against the body and the muscles of the fetus are constantly tense.. Up to about six months, the child's nervous system " The baby gradually develops and slowly begins to control the movements of his muscles and skeleton.

So, in the first three months after the birth of a child, increased tension of the muscles responsible for flexion-extension of the limbs remains.. The baby's body continues to maintain the position of the embryo (a certain effort is required to straighten the limbs).

By three months, with the normal development of the baby, normotonia should be achieved - that is, a balanced state of muscle flexors and extensors. By this point, the legs and arms work more actively, quite easily, and the palms are less and less clenched into a fist.. By 18 months, the tone in a child is comparable to the indicators of muscle tension in an adult.

An increased tone can be judged by the excessive tightness and stiffness of the baby’s movements, the tension of the occipital muscles, tightly clenched fists, the legs are also bent in all joints, the baby’s hips can hardly be spread to the side.

In addition to the above, the following symptoms of hypertension are quite common:.

• In the prone position, the head is thrown back, and the arms and legs are tucked in.

• Vertically on a hard surface, the child tries to stand on the front of the foot, that is, stands on tiptoe.

• When crying, the child throws his head back, arches and at the same time his chin muscles tremble.

Causes and consequences of impaired muscle tone.

In most cases, violation of the tone in newborns is the result of birth injuries (the cervical region and head of the baby are especially often injured), or intrauterine developmental pathologies. External manifestations of muscle disorders indicate a pathology of the nervous system, which means that in children, if timely measures are not taken, there is a risk of other developmental abnormalities (both physical and intellectual).

Physiological hypertonicity disappears without a trace after three months. Pathological hypertonicity is caused by damage to the brain tissues that are responsible for the state of the muscles. Such disorders occur with increased intracranial pressure, perinatal encephalopathy, increased excitability and other pathologies..

If you don’t go to the doctor right away, but wait until the hypertonicity passes “as you grow up”, then this will seriously affect the further development of the child. The consequences of impaired muscle tone can be:.

• Violation of coordination of movements;

• Formation of incorrect gait;

•Incorrect posture formation;

• Lag in development, especially motor skills;

• Speech disorder.

Independently, this pathology is not corrected, and is not corrected with age.. However, the use of well-designed treatment regimens can restore the health of the child..

Diagnosis and treatment of muscle tone.

If your child is more than 3 months old and you still notice symptoms of hypertonicity in him, do not hesitate to contact a specialist.

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