Why does a child throw his head back and arch

Doctors reassure that in about 70 percent of cases, when the baby arches, throwing his head back, there is absolutely nothing to worry about. Consider all situations where “acrobatic stunts” are a physiological norm.

Physiological norm options

1. Physiological hypertonicity of the limb flexors in children under the age of 6 months. It is considered the norm, since at this age the maturation of the nervous system is still ongoing.
2. The kid masters the skill of turning over on his stomach. In this case, the child lies on his side and throws his head back, trying to roll over from his back to his stomach. You can help the baby: throw one leg over the other crosswise in the direction where the child wants to roll over. After this, the baby must himself complete the coup with the upper body.
3. Hysterics. Very often, the baby, rolling in hysterics, arches, throws back his head, bursting into heart-rending crying. There is nothing wrong with that, just take the baby in your arms and try to calm him down.
4. Colic and bloating. A nightmare for parents of babies under the age of 3-4 months. Colic is also a variant of the norm, since intestinal motility in a child is not yet fully developed. With colic, the baby screams heart-rendingly, arches and throws back his head, blushes strongly, clenches his fists and twists his legs. The tummy is hard and swollen, the baby may refuse to eat. There are several ways to help the baby: gently massage the tummy, apply a clean diaper ironed with a hot iron, give a medicine for colic (only after consulting a doctor!). If the baby is breastfed, the mother should take a closer look at her diet and exclude all foods that increase gas formation – cabbage, legumes, carbonated drinks, chocolate. In the most extreme cases, the use of a gas outlet tube is acceptable.
5. Coryza. It happens that with a runny nose, when it is difficult for the baby to breathe, he begins to arch and worry. Try to help the baby by raising his mattress by 30 degrees to improve the outflow of mucus, and also monitor the humidity and air temperature in the room where the child sleeps.
6. The baby is trying to find a comfortable sleeping position. Yes, yes, sometimes babies arch their backs and throw back their heads, trying to get comfortable before going to bed. The fact is that in the womb, children are often in very unnatural positions, and in the first months of life they can unconsciously repeat them.
7. The kid is trying to examine the toys hanging above him. Try to hang toys on the mobile so that the baby does not have to dodge to see them. Do not forget that if the toys are hung too close to the child’s face, this may adversely affect the baby’s vision.
8. The child may have an itchy back or neck.

When should a child be seen by a pediatrician or neurologist?

What to do if the baby does not suffer from colic, and you have tried all the ways, but the baby does not calm down and continues to cry and arch, throwing back his head? In order not to rid yourself of anxiety, seek the advice of a pediatrician or neurologist. Consider situations when such behavior of a baby may indicate health problems.

Increased intracranial pressure

Sometimes, if the pregnancy proceeded with complications, the child developed intrauterine hypoxia, or had a difficult birth, then in the first months the baby may have increased intracranial pressure, due to which he will arch, throw back his head and cry. If intracranial pressure is suspected, it is urgent to show the baby to the doctor to avoid complications.

Symptoms of liquor hypertension

Irritability, tearfulness, constant crying for no apparent reason, negative reaction to bright lights or loud noises. Also, often increased intracranial pressure is accompanied by convulsions, profuse regurgitation after feeding. The baby sleeps little and constantly wakes up, when he screams, his lips and chin tremble, and the nasolabial triangle also turns blue. In severe cases, the baby’s fontanel swells and protrudes, strabismus develops. Sometimes elevated intracranial pressure can be a symptom of a dangerous disease, such as meningitis, which develops atypically in young children.

Muscular hypertonicity

Arching the back and tilting the head back can be a sign of muscle hypertonicity in a child. Often, hypertonicity is a consequence of oxygen starvation, fetal hypoxia during pregnancy or during prolonged labor. The most severe consequences can be encephalopathy and cerebral palsy. Muscle tension can be all over the body or affect only one side of the baby’s body. Parents should be alerted not only by the frequent arching of the child and the tilting of the head, but also by the violation of the grasping function. Muscle hypertonicity is also a reason to show the child to the doctor, who, if necessary, will prescribe a course of treatment and massage.

Krivosheya

Also, tilting the child’s head back can be caused by torticollis (pathology of the musculoskeletal system in the neck, due to which the child’s head deviates to the side or can be turned to the side). Parents should be alerted if the child’s head is always in the same position, and when you try to turn your head in the other direction, the child worries and cries. Torticollis requires mandatory treatment – wearing a special collar, a course of massage and physiotherapy.

Epilepsy

During an epileptic seizure, the child may arch, throwing back his head strongly, and freeze in this state for a while. After the attack passes, the child relaxes, begins to cry, urination or defecation occurs. Treatment of epilepsy is prescribed only by a doctor and takes place under medical supervision.

Diagnostics

So, if you are worried that the baby often arches and throws his head back, it is better to seek the advice of a doctor who will determine whether this is a norm or a pathology. The doctor will listen to all complaints, collect an anamnesis – ask how the pregnancy, childbirth and the first days of the child’s life proceeded, specify how often and under what circumstances the child throws his head back, whether he cries or behaves calmly, whether the nasolabial triangle turns blue, does not whether the fontanel swells. If necessary, the doctor may prescribe the following tests and examinations: a general blood and urine test, neurosonography (ultrasound of the brain through the fontanel), electroencephalography (to rule out epilepsy). But CT and MRI are rarely prescribed for young children, since these studies are carried out under general anesthesia so that the child is completely immobile.

Popular questions and answers

Answers Veronica of Orange — neurologist, epileptologist, member of the League of Evidence-Based Medicine.