Why do babies have crunchy joints?

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

Often, young mothers notice that the baby's joints are crackling. There is a natural concern about this. What is the reason for this phenomenon? Is it considered a serious pathology or the norm? Pediatricians note that the sounds of crunching in the joints arise due to the peculiarities of the physiology of the child. In most cases, the crunch is not dangerous and does not bother the baby if the clicks are rare.

Feature of the phenomenon

In newborns, the connective tissue is not as dense as in an adult, and the muscles are not well developed. Therefore, crunching in the joints in infants is heard much more often than in older children. As you grow older, the crunch disappears on its own with the condition, if there are no internal pathologies.

Reasons

There are a lot of factors for the occurrence of joint crunch in newborns. Most often they are harmless, but sometimes they indicate serious problems with the musculoskeletal system. The main reasons why the joints in infants (6 months) crunch are as follows:

• Physiological features. Crunch in children under one year old is considered normal. It appears due to insufficiently formed muscular apparatus. Disappears on its own when baby grows up.
• Rapid growth of bones, lack of fluid in the joints. Due to the fact that children grow rapidly before the age of five, the amount of fluid produced by the body is insufficient.
• Features of the anatomy of the baby, hereditary predisposition.
• Lack of vitamins and minerals, calcium, vitamin D.
• Arthritis.
• Rheumatism.
• Dysplasia.
• Inflammatory processes in the joints.

If crunching in the joints occurs frequently and causes pain to the baby, a doctor's consultation and examination is necessary.

Should I be worried?

If your baby's joints rarely crackle, don't worry. For children under one and a half years old, this phenomenon is considered a kind of norm. Parents should pay attention to cases when it is still necessary to see a doctor:

• The crunch comes from one leg or arm, not both.
• Constant crunching in the joints during movement.
• During the crunch, the baby starts to cry or act up.
• The skin around the joint is red and inflamed.
• The crunch is heard when the child lies on his back, and the legs, bent at the knees, spread apart.

Such symptoms often indicate diseases that require timely diagnosis and treatment.

Dysplasia

This disease is hereditary. The cause of dysplasia in an infant is insufficient production of collagen and other substances that make up connective tissue. If the joints of the baby crunch pathologically, it means that the ligaments are stretched and do not have elasticity. When the baby moves, the cartilage tissues come into contact with each other and lead to a characteristic sound. The joint falls out of its bed. Dysplasia is characterized by the occurrence of a crunch during the abduction of the legs to the sides.

Dysplasia is a dangerous disease that can lead to disability without timely treatment. In infancy, this problem is solved much easier and faster. Dysplasia is removed with the help of therapeutic massages, which are carried out by a specialist, gymnastics, calcium intake. In difficult cases, the treatment of dysplasia is different: wearing corrective pants, splints, stretch marks.

Arthritis

Problems with joints occur in children of different ages, so babies need diagnosis and therapy. If the joints on the legs crunch in the baby, this may indicate an inflammatory process. It can lead to delamination, thinning and the formation of cracks. The disease progresses rapidly. In the future, the baby may develop seals and growths on the joints, as a result of which the bone tissue is deformed. Arthritis is accompanied by pain, discomfort, crunching, swelling, redness of the skin. Parents need to see a doctor immediately if:

• Joints crunchvery often.
• Baby cries during the crunch.
• The skin around the joints is inflamed and swollen.

What does baby crunching mean?

If a baby's hip joint crunches, this is not always a sign of disturbances in the functioning of the body. Most likely, the main problem lies in the lack of formation of the musculoskeletal system. When a child grows rapidly, his joints and ligaments become stronger, and the crunch disappears. Unfortunately, some pathologies are also accompanied by a crunch. For example, dislocations, subluxations, increased joint mobility, juvenile and reactive arthritis, rheumatism.

What to do, how to treat?

If the baby's joints crackle regularly and cause anxiety, you should visit a specialist's office. The doctor will prescribe a standard set of examinations: ultrasound of the heart and joints, biochemical analysis of blood and urine. If the diagnosis did not reveal abnormalities, treatment is not required. Experts recommend giving the baby more water, as it is responsible for the formation of interarticular fluid. If the cause of the crunch is an infection, rheumatism, arthritis, the baby is prescribed anti-inflammatory drugs, analgesics, antibiotics and other medicines that do not harm the child's he alth. With weakness, underdevelopment of muscles or their increased mobility, a therapeutic massage is prescribed, in combination with medications. Experts strongly advise not to self-medicate the baby!

Prevention

In order to prevent cracking joints in babies, parents should focus on light massage and gymnastics. For babies from 0 to 1 year old, useful exercises are “Okay”, “Cobra”. They develop the tactile, mental skills of the baby, as well as the ligaments of the joints. If the joints of the hands crunch in the baby, the Cobra exercise will have a positive effect. The baby should be put on the stomach, raise the breast with emphasis on the palms of the child's outstretched arms. For newborns, light types of gymnastics are perfect. These are the usual flexion and extension of the legs and arms in different positions. Pay attention to water procedures that you can do at home in the bathroom.

The prevention of diseases of bones and joints also includes a sufficient amount of calcium in the body of a newborn. During growth, it is the most important microelement, with the help of which the structure of tissues occurs. A child receives a certain amount of calcium with mother's milk, so it is very important that a woman eats properly. The diet of a nursing mother should consist of calcium-containing foods. These are milk, cheese, cottage cheese, yolk, cereals, sea kale, vegetables, fruits, herbs, fish. If the infant is formula-fed, add vitamins and minerals in powders or capsules (as agreed with the doctor).

If a baby's shoulder joint crackles, it may indicate dehydration. Many mothers believe that a child under one year does not need to be given water. This is a huge misconception! Give your child clean water as often as possible. Experts also do not advise panicking if the child's joints crackle from time to time. Endless trips to the doctors upset the baby. It is worth sounding the alarm if the crunch in the joints gives the child pain and appears very often. Remember that advanced joint disease further disrupts gait, provokes lameness, leg deformity.