What causes Hypertonicity in babies?

In general, hypertonia is usually caused by an insult to the brain, spinal cord, or nervous system. Trauma to the baby’s head, strokes, brain tumors, toxins, neurodegeneration, such as Parkinson’s disease, and neurodevelopmental abnormalities, such as cerebral palsy, can cause hypertonia.

How do I know if my baby’s muscles are tight?

Signs of Stiffness in Infants:

  1. Your child might hold his/her hands in tight fists or may seem unable to relax certain muscles.
  2. He/She may have difficulty letting go of an object or difficulty moving from one position to another.
  3. The legs or trunk of the child might cross or stiffen when you pick the child up as well.

How do you know if your baby is hypotonic?

Symptoms of hypotonia include:

  1. Your baby is unable to lift their head or control neck muscles.
  2. Your baby feels limp when held.
  3. Your baby cannot place weight on their legs.
  4. Your baby’s arms and legs hang straight at their sides without a bend at their elbow or knee.
  5. Your baby has difficulty swallowing or sucking.

What causes Hypertonicity?

This can occur for many reasons, such as a blow to the head, stroke, brain tumors, toxins that affect the brain, neurodegenerative processes such as in multiple sclerosis or Parkinson’s disease, or neurodevelopmental abnormalities such as in cerebral palsy. Hypertonia often limits how easily the joints can move.

Why do infants stiffen up?

It happens because of damage to areas of the brain and spinal cord that control muscle movements. While babies need to contract their muscles to move their bodies and sit upright, muscles that are continually contracted are less flexible. Often hypertonia affects a baby’s arm, leg, and neck muscles.

Can hypotonia babies walk?

Will my child ever walk? Although some severe cases of hypotonia confine people to wheelchairs for their entire life, the majority of kids learn to walk. It will simply be on their own schedule. It’s difficult to watch younger kids pass milestones your child hasn’t conquered.

Can hypotonia affect speech?

Low Muscle Tone and Speech Production Both speech and breathing are affected by low muscle tone. Muscles in the mouth and face are used to create sounds, and while children with hypotonia usually have no difficulty understanding, they often have difficulty using expressive language skills.