Your baby may experience difficulty sitting up straight, keeping their head up, and bending their elbows and knees. Hypotonia, or low muscle tone, is a common condition that affects newborns’ motor skills. It can be distressing as a parent to see your baby appear weak and floppy, but with an accurate diagnosis, treatment can begin.
In this blog, we will explore who is most affected by hypotonia, the severity of the condition, and the timeline for improvement after treatment.
What is hypotonia?
Hypotonia, also known as floppy newborn syndrome, is a condition characterized by a lack of muscle tone. It affects muscle strength, motor neurons, and the brain, and can be a sign of various diseases and conditions.
Hypotonia is present at birth and is usually diagnosed during early childhood. Adults can also be affected. If your child has hypotonia, their arms and legs may appear floppy like a rag doll.
It’s important to note that hypotonia is not the same as muscle weakness, although muscle weakness can be a sign of hypotonia.
Causes
Hypotonia is caused by a breakdown in transmission between the pathways that control movement. These pathways connect the brain, spinal cord, nerves, and muscles.
Causes of hypotonia are
- Damage to your baby’s brain or complications as to how it formed during fetal growth
- Lack of oxygen before or shortly after your baby’s birth
- Some Infections that impair the way nerves and muscles connect
- Muscle-related disorders
- Nerve disorders affect the nerves that connect with muscles
Symptoms of hypotonia
Symptoms of hypotonia in your infant are
- unable to lift his or her head or move the muscles in his or her neck
- feeble cry
- muscle weakness
- appears lethargic (limp)
- unable to bear weight on his or her legs
- Your baby’s arms and legs are straight at his or her sides, with no elbow or knee bend
- Having trouble swallowing or sucking
Children diagnosed with hypotonia may develop delay motor abilities such as
- Sitting upright
- Crawling or creeping
- self-sufficient in terms of food
- Walking
- Saying their first words
Hypotonia is a sign of what conditions?
Hypotonia may even be genetic or inherited. Hypotonia is a symptom of some conditions that impair your baby’s nerves and brain as he or she grows. These are some of the signs-
- Achondroplasia
- Down syndrome (a child is born with an extra copy of chromosome 21)
- Prader-Willi syndrome (genetic disorder)
- Atrophy of the spinal muscles
- Tay-Sachs disease (a genetic disorder)
- Williams syndrome
- Trisomy 13
Hypotonia can also be caused by the following conditions-
- Premature birth (before 37 weeks)
- Cerebral palsy
- Toxic or poisonous exposure
- Hypothyroidism
- Apnea (sleep deprivation)
- Injury to the spinal cord
Diagnosis
Hypotonia is diagnosed early after your child is born or before they reach the age of six months. The doctor will examine your child’s muscles for physical signs of the disorder, including:
- Synchronization and balance
- abilities to move (motor skills) such as grasping, rolling over, sitting up
- Quick thinking
- Sensory skills such as vision, hearing, touch
- Your doctor will also look into your family’s medical and genetic history to see if the disease was caused by complications that occurred before or during delivery.
Doctor detects hypotonia; they’ll start to understand what’s causing the problem. The following are common examples of possible tests-
- An MRI or CT scan is imaging examinations that are used to examine the brain.
- A genetic test is used to find out whether there are any genetic defects that are causing the symptoms.
- Electromyograms are used to evaluate the function of muscles and nerves.
Treatment
After diagnosing hypotonia, the doctor will test for the underlying disease causing it and start treatment by addressing the underlying condition, which may involve:
- Physical therapy to improve motor abilities
- Speech-language therapy to address speaking, swallowing, and breathing difficulties
- Sensory stimulation therapy to improve sensation loss
- Tube feeding may be required for infants with feeding and swallowing difficulties caused by hypotonia
What should I do if my child has hypotonia?
Seeking medical attention and consulting with a doctor or genetic counselor for a better understanding of the diagnosis is the first step. Follow your doctor’s guidance to provide proper treatment and care for your child.
How do I take care of my child who has been diagnosed with hypotonia?
Take extra care when carrying your infant and follow your doctor’s guidance to enhance your baby’s muscular strength over time.
Is hypotonia a physical disability?
Hypotonia can be classified as a disability in itself as it may affect daily tasks, but it’s rare for a baby to be diagnosed with hypotonia without an underlying disease.
The underlying diagnosis may be a disability, but hypotonia has no effect on cognitive capacity.
Conclusion
Hypotonia refers to a lack of muscle tone. It is a lifelong disease, muscular tone that can improve with time if the root condition that caused your baby’s symptoms is successfully treated.
