Hypertonia

Symptoms of hypertonia will vary from child to child. Common symptoms include:

• Difficulty moving around
• Awkward movements
• Muscle resistance when your child tries to move
• Muscle spasms
• Uncontrolled crossing of the legs

See a doctor as soon as possible if your child has symptoms of hypertonia. Symptoms may be related to an underlying medical problem that may need treatment.

The primary cause of hypertonia is damage or an injury to the brain or spinal cord before, during, or after birth.

Hypertonia may be associated with a condition called cerebral [suh-REE-bruhl] palsy [PAWL-zee]. This is known as hypertonic cerebral palsy.

A child’s doctor will first obtain a medical history. The doctor will ask the parent questions about the pregnancy and any complications during or after childbirth. The doctor will then perform a physical examination of the child. The doctor may order any of these tests:

• Blood tests to rule out other causes of your child’s symptoms
• Imaging tests to find evidence of serious injury or problems with the brain and nerves
• Electromyography [ih-lek=troh-mahy-OG-ruh-fee] to evaluate your child’s nerve and muscle function

Treatment for hypertonia will depend on a child’s age and overall health and may include:

• Medicine to relax muscles
• Botulism [BOCH-uh-liz-uhm] toxin (Botox) injections
• Physical therapy
• Occupational therapy
• Muscle massage

Currently, there is no known way to prevent hypertonia.

Hypertonia is a condition in which there is too much muscle tone. This can make it difficult for a child to move their arms or legs. Muscle tone is controlled by signals that travel from the brain to the nerves. These signals tell the muscle to contract. Hypertonia occurs when there is damage to the brain or spinal cord (central nervous system). In children, the damage may occur before or after birth.

Hypertonia is also called spasticity of the muscles as it causes uncontrolled muscle spasms, and stiffening or straightening of muscles. Hypertonia will often limit how easily a child can move their legs. This makes it difficult for the child to do activities such as sitting, eating, standing, dressing, and walking. In severe cases, the limbs can become almost “frozen,” which is known as joint contracture [kuhn-TRAK-cher].