Hypotension in infants: signs and treatment

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

Many parents of babies begin to worry when a neurologist diagnoses their baby with hypotension at a scheduled appointment. Of course, there is little pleasant in this, but you should not panic ahead of time. You should find out the possible causes of this condition, undergo the necessary examinations, and if the diagnosis is confirmed, develop the best treatment option and strictly adhere to this plan. Many doctors believe that this phenomenon may be a feature of physiological development, and the sooner parents start correcting, the sooner they will get rid of this problem.

What is hypotension in a small child?

Hypotonicity of the muscles in the baby is a weakened muscular condition in the case when tension should arise. A neurologist makes this diagnosis for such babies who, when exposed to muscles, do not have a response. For example, when a doctor bends his arms in a baby, then with normal muscle tone they respondstraighten and return back to a position that is comfortable for the newborn. If the baby has hypotension, then there will be no such reaction, or it appears only after a while. This weakness of the muscles is explained by the fact that they cannot contract normally.

How is hypotonia detected?

When visiting a neurologist, hypotension in a baby is easily diagnosed with the help of certain manipulations with the baby. The following actions of the doctor are aimed at identifying deviations of innate physiological reflexes:

• Step reflex and foot support reaction. The neurologist takes the child and puts it on a hard surface. The baby, when relying on a full foot, should straighten up on its legs and take steps, as during walking. With hypotension, the baby is not able to straighten his legs and walk, he is likely to bend them. Normally, such a reflex exists for up to two months, after which it fades away.
• Sit down by the handles. The baby is placed with its back on a hard surface, and, holding it by the wrists, they try to lift it into the “sitting” position. The kid himself will begin to pull himself up with the handles with the help of muscle contraction, and the doctor feels this resistance. With hypotension, muscle weakness occurs, and the baby sags on the handles, his stomach begins to protrude forward, the head is weakly held on the neck, and the back is rounded.

Self-detection of hypotension

Parents themselves can figure out if the baby has hypotension. To do this, it is enough to carefully observe yourchild. This pathology affects the general condition of the baby. You may notice that the baby is very calm, quiet and quite rarely comes into an excited state. At the same time, he sleeps a lot, and during wakefulness he is distinguished by slow and lethargic activity.

Also, parents should pay attention to the posture of the child during sleep. If there is a suspicion of hypotonicity in the baby, its signs in this case will manifest themselves as follows: the arms and legs are straightened and relaxed, the palms are wide open, and should be gathered into a fist. Straightening his legs to an angle of 180 degrees does not cause him any discomfort. With normal tone, the child's hands and limbs are slightly bent, because muscle activity contributes to this.

With a pathological condition of the muscles, a breast-fed baby may not take the breast well or refuse it at all. A child with this diagnosis has difficulty straining his neck to fix his head, it is difficult for him to learn to crawl and hold objects, and it is also almost impossible for him to roll over and be in a sitting position.

If parents have noticed such signs of hypotension, then in this case you need to contact a local therapist. The consultation received and the exclusion of a serious pathology will allow them to calm down and take the necessary measures to improve this condition in the baby.

Causes of occurrence

Hypotension in infants is much less common than hypertonicity, and the reasons for this maybe different. Weak muscle tone is directly related to the functioning of the central nervous system, as well as the blood supply to the body. This pathological condition occurs for the following reasons:

• complicated childbirth with asphyxia, hypoxia and injuries;
• Severe course of pregnancy, diseases suffered by a woman;
• emergency delivery;
• maternal bad habits;
• low birth weight baby;
• malformations;
• improperly organized newborn nutrition;
• weight loss in infants after viral and infectious diseases;
• genetic diseases;
• eating plenty of vitamin D.

Consequences of muscle weakness

Hypotonicity of the legs of the baby, as well as of all other parts of the body, is manifested by a slight tension in the muscles. It is necessary to start treatment of such a pathological condition in a timely manner, since serious violations may occur in the future. The development of the baby due to hypotension can be greatly inhibited, there is a high probability of a curvature of the spine and a violation of posture. Those who had weakened muscle tone in childhood are characterized by increased plasticity and flexibility, and the further progression of such an ailment leads to a strong weakening of the musculoskeletal system with the likelihood of complete muscle dystrophy.

Treatment methods

To correct the violation of muscle tone, the neurologist prescribes massage and special physical exercises. The usual treatment for hypotension inthe baby implies a set of procedures that are selected individually, taking into account the degree of damage to muscle fibers. Thus, the methods of treating low tone in a baby are as follows:

• Physiotherapy;
• acupuncture, which helps to achieve a lasting positive effect;
• physiotherapy exercises;
• phytotherapy, which is represented by herbal baths, rubbing, compresses on the joints.

If you strictly follow all the medical recommendations, then after three months the baby's he alth improves significantly. He begins to move his legs and arms more actively. Massage and gymnastic exercises for the baby at first should be carried out by a specialist in this field. Subsequently, parents themselves are able to master such procedures and carry them out at home.

Hypotonicity of the hands in the baby, as well as other parts of the body, helps to remove the gymnastics performed in the water. Swimming has the most beneficial effect on weak muscles, because all muscle groups begin to be involved.

Massage technique

It is very useful for a child to massage the muscles, as there is a stimulation of the work of each organ. Thanks to this treatment procedure, there is a strong effect on the central nervous system. During its implementation, be sure to change the position of the baby's body in order to use all available places. When performing a massage with hypotension in an infant, it is necessary that he lie both on his tummy and on his back.

The massage therapist should start his movements from the fingers, and completes with an active study of the back. With the hands and phalanges of the fingers, the specialist slightly presses on certain areas of the muscles, thus stimulating the bioactive points. During the procedure, muscle tissue is worked out with the help of rubbing, stroking, pinching, tapping. An experienced massage therapist is able to perform a targeted effect on each muscle.

Recommended massage course - 10 procedures, but if necessary, their number increases. It is also important to monitor the reaction of the baby during it. If he begins to worry a lot, then most likely the massage gives him very unpleasant sensations, and therefore it is better to postpone it indefinitely.

Gymnastic exercises

If hypotonicity of the baby has been diagnosed, exercises to restore muscle tone can strengthen the weakened muscles of the baby. In combination with massage, such gymnastics guarantees a positive effect. The following exercises are considered the most common:

• Cross-cross - the baby's arms should be spread apart and brought together, turning the right to the left and the left to the right.
• Boxing - you need to take the crumbs' hands in yours and alternately or simultaneously bend and straighten them in front of the baby. Thus, the muscles are strengthened.
• Pulling up - you need to take the hands of the baby and carefully move him to a sitting position. Movements must be slowso that muscle tension occurs, and they begin to work.
• Bicycle - you should twist the baby's legs, simulating riding a bicycle.
• Breeding the legs - it is necessary to cross the lower limbs of the child and spread them to the sides, with a gradual increase in amplitude.

When the above actions are performed, the child's condition improves quite quickly.

Conclusion

Caring parents will definitely pay attention to the he alth problems of their baby. If there is a suspicion of hypotension in the baby, you should definitely show it to the doctor. Timely started treatment allows the child to catch up with his peers in psychomotor and physical development and in the future not to have any he alth problems.