Muscle tone is the basis for maintaining various postures and normal movements of the body, and manifests itself in many forms. For example, when a person is lying down and resting, the tension in the muscles of the body is called resting muscle tension. When the body is standing, although there is no significant muscle contraction, the front and rear muscles of the body also maintain a certain tension to maintain the standing posture and body stability, which is called postural muscle tone. The tension of muscles during exercise is called exercise muscle tone, which is an important factor in ensuring continuous and smooth muscle movement (without tremors, twitches, or spasms).
Symptoms of high muscle tone:
1. The palms are often in the shape of a fist, with the thumbs clasped inwards. Massaging the back of his hand still makes it difficult to open his little hand.
2. When pulling the baby's limbs, the baby feels strong resistance and is difficult to pull apart or move. For example, it is difficult or impossible to pull the arms forward or lift them straight, and it is difficult to cross the chest.
3. The ankles are often buckled inwards and the toes are buckled downwards, in a scissors shape. Hold the baby on a hard surface with your hands on it, keeping your feet tucked in and on tiptoes.
4. When you touch the leg muscles, you will often find that the thigh and calf muscles grow unevenly in thickness and are hard, which can easily be mistaken for the strong muscles often said by the elderly.
5. It is difficult to open the fist when taking a bath. When the lower limbs just touch the bathtub or the water surface, the child's whole body immediately becomes stiff.
How to judge high muscle tension:
Put the baby's feet outward to see how far they can open. If it is within 90 degrees, the muscle tension is serious, below 120 degrees and above 90 degrees. Hypertonia is mild. Pinch the baby's feet and lift them up so that the buttocks cannot leave the bed. See how high the legs can be lifted (the legs should be straight and not bent when lifting). A temperature above 110 degrees is normal. Hold the baby's ankle and gently push the foot upward so that the top of the foot is as close to the calf as possible. If you cannot push or the resistance is strong, it indicates high muscle tone.
After 3 months, except for the above situation, put the baby on the bed, hold the baby with both hands and pull it up to sit up. If the head is still tilted back, it shows high muscle tone. Babies over 4 months old will jump when standing on an adult's lap. Babies with high muscle tone will only stand upright and dig their toes into the adult's flesh. Can't raise head when lying prone. If you judge that your baby is suspected of having high muscle tone, you must go to the pediatrics or rehabilitation department of the hospital for a comprehensive examination. If necessary (especially for babies with brain hypoxia at birth), do a brain MRI to see if there are any abnormalities in the brain. High muscle tone in babies can be very harmful. It can lead to uneven muscle growth in mild cases, or abnormal walking postures in severe cases, such as pigeon-toed or X-legged, or even walking with the buttocks stuck out. Therefore, abnormal muscle tone should be detected early, intervened and treated early. Usually, babies should be able to find out during physical examination when they are 3 months old. Treatment within 4 months is considered as early intervention. Generally, the treatment effect is good, the improvement is rapid, and it can be completely cured without affecting future sports development. Corrective treatment should be given no later than one and a half years old.