What Is Hypotonia?
As a baby grows we have to be very attentive to each stage and comment to the pediatrician about any anomaly, no matter how small. If you see that in the first months of life your child shows no signs of wanting to turn over on his own or you feel that he is very weak when you grab him, be careful! You may be presenting with hypotonia.
Hypotonic children represent an important challenge for specialists because they are responsible for ensuring the psychomotor development of babies. That is why it is so important that you tell them in detail about the new things that the child is doing and answer with great honesty what they ask.
Talk to your pediatrician honestly and comment on any abnormalities you observe
Hypotonia or poor muscle tone is usually detected at birth or in the first year of life. This disease is easily recognized because it affects the strength of the muscles, the brain, and the motor nerves. However, giving an accurate diagnosis is quite difficult, because other factors that make a difference may be influencing.
In trying to explain this syndrome, many doctors use the term “rag dolls” to illustrate the problem in a graphic way. A hypotonic baby has difficulty raising his head or, if he does, does not hold it for long; he cannot keep his elbows or knees bent and his body is very flabby.
This disease can affect locally, that is, only the trunk or the lower limbs. In these cases, hypotonia can be considered mild, but it will depend on the symptoms that the child presents.
Causes of hypotonia
Parents of hypotonic children can be very distressed, but don’t give up hope. To conclude that it is this disease, it is essential to do several tests that are very useful to rule out this inconvenience. In many cases, our little one can be helped with stimulating massages and the problem is solved.
The causes of hypotonia are diverse: from a failure in the nervous or muscular system, an injury, an inherited disorder (trisomy 13, Down syndrome, Prader-Willi syndrome, Tay-Sachs disease) or another disease. There are other more complex cases in which it is not possible to define why this difficulty appeared.
Down syndrome can be accompanied by signs of hypotonia
In some situations, the condition is not related to another pathology, which is why it is called benign congenital hypotonia. Through occupational and speech therapy and physical therapy, the child has the opportunity to regain tone and not delay psychomotor development.
On the other hand, hypotonia is related to underlying chronic conditions in the brain (cerebral palsy or oxygen deficiency at birth), the muscles (muscular dystrophy) or the central nervous system. In these situations, you will likely need lifelong treatment.
Also botulism (poisoning by bad food) or having contact with toxic substances can cause hypotonia. However, it disappears once the little one makes a full recovery.
About treatment for hypotonia
So far there is no effective cure for the most serious cases ; however, each has a specific treatment and will depend on the severity. In this sense, the evaluation made by the specialist and the baby’s behavior will help determine the appropriate therapy.
Experts will focus on achieving certain goals. Is ntarse upright, walking, playing sports or activities that relate to the development of fine motor skills.
Experts will design a special therapy to care for each child
The good news is that mom and dad can be of great help and continue therapies from home. Of course, you have to be very careful in your movements to avoid hurting your limbs.
What will happen in the future?
Long-term prognoses vary depending on each case. Factors such as the cause that originated the problem, the severity, age and the affected muscles influence. In scenarios where hypotonia tends to be chronic, you have to be brave and develop mechanisms to face this reality.
In this sense, it is teamwork that can be achieved with a good dose of love and hope. Do not be afraid, find out and draw for your baby a destination full of happiness by your side.
