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Although lowered muscle tone may appear in infants, it does not always cause greater problems. Sometimes it passes by itself, but sometimes its causes are much more serious. In infants, it is most often caused by malformations or perinatal injuries. It also happens that older children and adults develop reduced muscle tone. The reasons for this should always be carefully explained.
Reduced muscle tone bywa także nazywane hipotonią albo obniżonym tonusem mięśniowym. Oznacza ono nieprawidłowy stan mięśni, gdy nie są one w stanie stawić oporu przed ich biernym rozciąganiem. Dobrym przykładem jest tu niemożność przezwyciężenia prawa grawitacji. Pomimo starań chorego nie jest on zdolny utrzymać ręki w stanie podniesionym. Trzeba też jasno zdawać sobie sprawę, że reduced muscle tone is not a disease. It is just a symptom or a result of birth defects, genetic diseases, or other serious neurological conditions. On the other hand, as mentioned at the beginning, the source reduced muscle tone there may be much less serious reasons.
Reduced muscle tone in infants
Taki stan u niemowlęcia najczęściej zauważany jest w pierwszych miesiącach życia. Dostrzegają to sami rodzice czy opiekunowie albo rozpoznaje lekarz pediatra podczas rutynowej wizyty w poradni. Nie zawsze jednak można natychmiast zauważyć nieprawidłowości związane z reduced muscle tone in infants, because each of them develops at its own individual pace. Some children gain skills faster, others more slowly, but all this may be within the norm, which is quite broad.
Nevertheless, the little ones it does reduced muscle tone, show clearly delayed psychomotor development. They do not need as much exercise as their peers. They are babies who usually do not crawl and have problems keeping their heads raised. It also happens that their problems with eye-hand coordination are quickly noticed.
The occurrence of such anomalies as reduced muscle tone, symptoms that accompany them should always be reported to your doctor. For obvious symptoms too low muscle tone u niemowląt uważa się nieumiejętność trzymania główki przez dziecko przy podciąganiu go za ręce w wieku 3 miesięcy, nieumiejętność siadania w wieku sześciu miesięcy i brak umiejętności stania w wieku dziewięciu miesięcy.
The most common causes of this state of affairs are perinatal injuries or brain malformations. Another cause is Down syndrome, Prader-Willi syndrome, or Patau syndrome. Occasionally, neuropathies, spinal muscular atrophy, or myopathies also occur. You also have to keep remembering that reduced muscle tone sometimes it goes away on its own, especially when it is caused by hypoxia during labor.
However, in each of the above-mentioned situations, active rehabilitation is extremely important, which most often follows the Vojta method and consists in applying pressure to specific places on the body, which stimulates the development of the brain. The Bobath method is also popular and brings good results, according to which the child is stimulated to perform certain movements and assume the positions required at his age.
Reduced muscle tone in older children
If in children reduced muscle tone appears suddenly, this is a reason for immediate consultation with a doctor, preferably a specialist in neurology. If the cause decrease in muscle tone there may be any head or spine injury, you should immediately go to the nearest hospital, the so-called Hospital Emergency Department (HED).
If the child is already several years old, it should be assumed that he may have birth defects that may cause reduced muscle tonehave long been diagnosed. Therefore, if such symptoms occur, they are rather caused by a disease that is usually very serious. Reduced muscle tone usually accompanies Heine-Medin disease, meningitis or myasthenia gravis.
The most common symptoms, którymi manifestuje się reduced muscle tone, należą niemal niewyczuwalne odruchy toniczne przy jednoczesnej obecności odruchów rdzeniowych. Na pierwszy rzut oka można zauważyć nieprawidłowości w postawie ciała dziecka, która jest po prostu nienaturalna. Często obserwuje się słabe odruchy oddechowe lub siedzenie w tak zwanej pozycji W, czyli wówczas, gdy w pozycji siedzącej pośladki znajdują się pomiędzy stopami dziecka. Bardzo często wszystkim symptoms towarzyszą problemy z jedzeniem i słaba siła głosu. Dzieci nie chcą dobrowolnie podejmować żadnej aktywności fizycznej.
Reduced muscle tension – rehabilitation
Several-year-old children can be rehabilitated much more effectively than newborns or infants. All this is due to the skills already acquired and much greater mobility. Such children can exercise under the supervision of a physiotherapist and carry out special programs dedicated to such problems. Rehabilitation often follows the well-known method of the Developmental Movement by Weronika Sherborne. Balance, manual and any other exercises supporting the so-called fine motor skills are used. Very good results can be achieved by undertaking rehabilitation based on swimming pool classes or hippotherapy.
In the rehabilitation of reduced muscle tension, you can use the Jeżyk rehabilitation ball, which you can buy in the size of your choice at Medonet Market.