The motor activity of the baby is one of the main factors by which it is customary to judge the state of his health. But there are cases when the infant’s parents hear from a neurologist the diagnosis of “motor impairment syndrome”. What is it? What are the symptoms of the disease? Can I get rid of him? Are there any ways to avoid this kind of trouble? The article will discuss the answers to these and some other questions.
What is the syndrome of motor disorders of the newborn?
This disease is diagnosed in cases when a baby has a decrease or increase in motor activity, muscular dystonia and a weakening of muscle strength. Babies aged 2 to 4 months are most susceptible to it.
The syndrome of motor disorders is divided into several main types:
- Muscle hypertonicity.
- Muscle hypotension.
- Cerebellar syndrome.
- Cerebral palsy.
- Cerebellar dysarthria.
- Symmetrical cervical tonic reflex.
- Tonic labyrinth reflex.
Each type of disease has its own characteristics. We will talk about this later when considering the symptoms of motor impairment syndrome.
The causes of the disease
Syndrome of motor disorders in the baby can occur as a result of exposure to certain factors.
Firstly, hypoxia can become the cause of the disease. This phenomenon is accompanied by a violation of the blood supply to the brain, which leads to its defeat.
Secondly, the syndrome of motor disorders can occur as a result of a previous intrauterine infection.
Thirdly, a common cause of the disease is the resulting birth injury as a result of too much fetal mass, pelvic presentation, improper insertion of the head, and so on. In all these cases, the spinal cord of the newborn may be affected.
The fourth and last reason is the incorrect formation of the musculoskeletal system.
Symptoms of Hypertonicity
The syndrome of motor disorders in the newborn, manifested in the form of hypertonicity, may be accompanied by the following symptoms:
- the body of the baby in a supine position is bent in the form of an arc;
- the baby learned to hold the head, not even reaching a month old;
- by the age of three months, the child has not learned to open the brush in order to take a toy or other object, he presses clenched fists to the body;
- the baby's head is always turned in one direction;
- if you put the baby on its feet, it will stand not on a full foot, but on one socks;
- the child can only roll over through one side;
- at the age of one, he does not use both hands, but prefers one.
All of the above signs mean that an excessive number of pulses are coming from the central nervous system. You should not put off going to the neurologist in a long box.
Symptoms of Hypotension
Unlike the previous version, hypotonus is characterized by a reduced influx of impulses from the central nervous system to muscle tissue, resulting in a decrease in their tension.
The syndrome of motor disorders of this type is accompanied by such signs:
- lethargy of the baby, he makes very few movements with legs and arms;
- the baby cannot hold the toy in his hand;
- the cry of the child is very weak;
- the baby does not know how to hold the head in an upright position for a long period of time and constantly throws it back;
- the baby does not begin to crawl, sit and get up at the right time;
- the child begins to smile much later than the due date;
- children with hypotension are very poorly balanced during sitting: even at 6-7 months they sway from side to side.
This type of disease has a very bad effect on the spine and posture, there is a high risk of joint dislocation. Severe forms of muscle hypotension can complicate even such important processes as breast sucking, chewing and swallowing food. In addition, children with this type of disease do not show speech skills for a long time.
Common symptoms of the disease
What else can be accompanied by a syndrome of motor disorders? Symptoms by which you can judge the disease are also the following:
- A child cannot take pathological postures. It is very difficult for him to bend and unbend his upper limbs. In addition, he can not bend his fingers.
- Another sign is the monotony of the cry and crying of the baby.
- Significant delay in auditory and visual reactions.
- The kid lags behind in physical development, it is more difficult for him to learn to roll over, sit down, keep his balance and so on.
Diagnosis of the disease
Even if there are obvious signs of a problem, you should not establish a diagnosis on your own and even more so do self-medication. You need to contact a neurologist who will conduct a full examination and, based on its results, will be able to determine the presence of the disease and its type.
During diagnosis, the perinatal history is primarily taken into account. The doctor needs to know if the child had infections, toxico-metabolic disorders, or signs of hypoxia. Special attention is paid to assessing the condition of a newborn baby on the Apgar scale.
If a baby is under examination who has not yet overgrown a fontanel, he is prescribed a Doppler study of cerebral blood flow and neurosonography. In especially severe cases, a CT scan or an MRI of the brain may be necessary.
Additionally, a reconciliation of the child's skills with developmental standards at his age is carried out. Neurologists and pediatricians in this case use special tables.
Movement Disorder Syndrome in Children: Treatment of the Disease
Do not despair if the child was given such a terrible, at first glance, diagnosis. To date, many effective methods have been developed that will help get rid of such a problem as motor impairment syndrome. Treatment may include massage, reflexology, osteopathy, physiotherapy exercises. A brief look at each of these methods.
Let's start with physical therapy and massage. For their conduct, it is usually necessary to use special ointments. Which ones - the expert will tell you before performing the procedures. Particular attention in this case is usually given to the lower limbs. There are two more small but important nuances: before starting the massage and physical education, you need to wrap the baby's legs with wool clothes, and at the end - make baths with boiled oats or boots made of paraffin.
In order to determine the complex of necessary exercises, the doctor focuses primarily on where exactly the violations are observed: in sitting, crawling, walking and so on.
Children whose age is less than one year must undergo at least four courses of therapeutic massage and physical education. Moreover, one course includes about 20 sessions, which consist of a clearly established set of exercises.
Parents need to remember that you should not relax in between sessions with a specialist. During this period, they must do their own massage crumbs.
Next, consider what osteopathy is. The procedure is an alternative to official medicine. A positive effect in this case is achieved by affecting the desired points on the body and massage the internal organs.
Reflexotherapy is used in cases where the syndrome of motor disorders in children is accompanied by delays in the maturation of the nervous system and development. This type of therapy shows the greatest effectiveness.
In some cases, in order to eliminate the syndrome of motor disorders in newborns, the doctor may prescribe the use of homeopathic medicines. Their choice will depend on the nature of the course of the disease and the characteristics of the baby's body.
A well-formed diet of the child plays an equally important role. A large amount of vitamin B must be present in it. Otherwise, injections will be required.
Forecast for the future
How favorably the treatment goes, depends primarily on the type of disease.
Mild motor impairment syndrome (provided there is no persistent hypoxia) can be overcome within the first year of the baby's life.
More severe types of the disease can cause many complications: mental retardation, epilepsy, difficulty walking, learning and concentrating, weather sensitivity, headaches, and manifestations of vegetative-vascular dystonia.
Disease prevention
The main prevention of the occurrence of motor impairment syndrome is to provide the child with freedom of action. Of course, within the safety rules. No need to limit its space to a cradle. If possible, it is recommended to allocate a separate room for the baby.
The kid must develop and learn something new. Colorful pictures, bright toys and so on will be able to help in this matter.
Additionally, you can give the child to walk barefoot, engage in fitball with him, conduct therapeutic massage and gymnastics. Finger games, touching different objects in texture are also very useful.
To summarize
Many mothers perceive motor impairment syndrome as a sentence and give up, losing hope that their baby will recover. In no case do you need to do this! As you can see, today this disease is no longer included in the group of incurables, which means that the chances of a full recovery in the child are very high. As a rule, by two years all signs of the disease disappear in 90% of children. This is especially true when the problem was discovered early enough and has not yet had time to worsen. The only thing parents will need in such a situation is to show perseverance and patience. And then everything will be all right with their beloved baby. Be healthy!