Hypertonicity

Hypertonicity is an increased tension of the muscles, meaning the muscle tone is abnormally rigid, hampering proper movement.

Let the Physical therapist explain what is going on and how your child will be helped by therapy.

Stay calm - I work with many Physical Therapists - they are highly trained.

J.

Hi V.,

I am a retired OT (occupational therapist). Check out the following Website to see what developmental milestones are appropriate for your child's age.

http://www.unce.unr.edu/publications/files/cy/2006/fs0677...

Hypertonicity basically means increased muscle tone, i.e. higher or "tighter" tone than is normal, as opposed to hypotonicity, which is lower or "floppier" tone than is normal. Keep in mind that there are ranges of normal--yours can have higher or lower tone than another baby and still be considered in the normal range. Extremes in muscle tone can interfere with your child's ability to move and achieve these physical milestones. In my experience, I saw this most often with children who were diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy. However, if the pediatrician referred your 4 month old for PT, then it's important that you ask him/her what it is about your child that warranted the referral. I must say, though, that I'm impressed that your child's doctor noticed this at a young age and was on the ball to refer you to a PT. I would suggest that your child receive OT as well, because the combination of therapies and therapists working together can maximally benefit your child. Keep in mind that all public schools have special education departments that serve infants with developmental delays (for free). If I were you, I would call the Special Ed. Dept. in your school district and inquire about their Infant program and have your child evaluated to receive these free services from their qualified and licensed therapists. To be honest, the children who receive the most therapy from a very young age have the best chance of achieving success (that's why both school and private therapy are a good combination, and you'll need certain info in order for insurance to pay). All the basic sensory-motor skills are the foundation for higher learning, such as academics, which is why the schools have these programs, and they are federally mandated. Once your child is in these school-based programs, it becomes very easy to network with other parents, which is your BEST BET for gathering pertinent information. You can buy these 2 books from Amazon.com:
Sensory Secrets: How to Jump-Start Learning in Children, by Catherine Schneider
Sensory Integration and the Child, by A. Jean Ayres
Take a proactive approach--find out all the info you can about your child and take life one step, one day at a time. There are fun things you can do at home to help your child, and the therapists will give you suggestions. Hypertonicity is a very general diagnosis--a "catch-all" phrase, if you will. You may need a more specific diagnosis to get your child the services he/she may need and deserve. Good luck! jenifer

I have some experience with this diagnosis of sorts. My two sons had hypotonicity (having loose muscle tone) I would expect the diagnosis you are mentioning is the opposite meaning your child has rigid muscle tone. Sometimes it can be linked to other problems later in development. Sometimes it is just something related to the way they were carried in the womb and how they develop. For the most part the therapy will be a play time of sorts where they will specifically work on the muscles effected to loosen the stiffness up (for my kids it was the opposite and they needed to strengthen those muscles). The reason it is so important is because when your body feels stiff and/or sore you don't want to do something. For an infant to have that it can slow down development because they don't try to do things normally they would to avoid "hurting" themselves. If you are not sure about insurance coverage for the therapy and the like you can look into ECI. They will come out and do an evaluation in your home and do the therapy there at home also until your child either doesn't need it or they turn three. I am not sure wher eyou are located but you can look up the local school for your area and call them for a number to ECI. Also your doctor should be able to give you that number. ECI stands for early childhood intervention.

Hope this helps a little :)

HI V., I JUST HAPPEN TO BE A PEDIATRIC PHYSICAL THERAPIST, WHO, UNTIL MY BABY'S RECENT BIRTH, WORKED FOR AN EARLY INTERVENTION COMPANY, TREATING CHILDREN FROM BIRTH TO THREE YEARS WITH ALL KINDS OF DEVELOPMENTAL CONCERNS. I READ YOUR OTHER RESPONSES - DON'T WORRY JUST YET, AND DEFINETELY LOOK INTO ECI SERVICES - THEY ARE VERY FAMILY FRIENDLY, I WOULD RECOMMEND YOU STAY AWAY FROM CHIROPRACTORS AT THAT OUNG OF AN AGE AND WITH THAT DIAGNOSIS!! YOU GOT THE GIST OF THE DEFINITION OF HYPERTONICITY, BUT IT DOESN'T NECESSARILY MEAN ANYTHING MORE THAN THAT AT THIS POINT. BUT DO YOUR HOMEWORK AND FOLLOW THE PT'S ADVICE BECAUSE IF THERE IS A FURTHER NEUROLOGICAL CONCERN, THE EARLIER YOU START THERAPY SERVICES AND THE MORE YOU CAN INCORPORATE WHAT THE THERAPIST TEACHES YOU INTO EVERYDAY ROUTINES, THE BETTER OUTCOME YOUR BABY WILL HAVE. FEEL FREE TO CONTACT ME IF YOU WANT TO TALK OR NEED A SECOND OPINION. MY EMAIL IS ____@____.com

The term refers to a higher "tone" in the muscles. The opposite would be "hypotonicity", which is low tone. My DD had some low tone when she was little.

The PT may be a short term thing-stretches, mostly, I would imagine. Don't worry, mama-it doesn't help you or your LO.

Is your DC's gross motor development on track (average or above)?

Feel free to call your pedi w/ your concerns. YOu are also welcome to contact me off list.

Oh, and info on-line can scare the tee tee out of you-go straight to the pedi or PT for the best info, specific to your child. There are varying degrees of high or low tone, and the internet tends to present the worst case scenario.

Blessings~C.

I'm a massage therapist - I get LOTS of referrals with that diagnosis. It basically means in laymen's terms "tight muscles". Are there areas where your daughters ROM is being impeded becuase of restrictive muslces? In otherwords, perhaps her neck muscles are so tight she can't move her head freely from side to side - like when grown ups get a "crick in the neck". I would recommend finding a massage therapist who has worked on infants in a therapeutic way before (beyond just basic infant massage) and take her in for a few 25/30 minute sessions (they can usually do in 30 minutes on a babyw hat it takes an hour to do on an adult).

I've had infants as young as two weeks - massage is perfectly safe for them and one of the best ways to address muscular imbalances of all kinds.

A. <><

PS My sister had lots of hypertonicity in her neck and shoulder muscles and after a few chiropractic adjustments and several massage sessions with me (I was 21, she was 3) her range of motion (ROM) and balance problems were restored. Yes, it is generally easily fixed.

Hypertonicity can also be caused by a subluxation in the spine. When bones become misaligned, they also take the muscles with them (that's where muscles attach), thus creating one "tight" side and one "loose" side. That's the best way to describe it. I agree with massage therapy, but why is the muscle "tight" in the first place? What caused that? The spine is a great place to start. Most chiropractors are comfortable adjusting kids (and you will be amazed at how gently kids are adjusted!), but there are chiropractors out there with post graduate degrees in pediatrics. You can find a local doc at www.ICPA4kids.com Good luck!