So my son has very stiff muscles, but mostly just when he stands. He's 10 months/8 adj. and is starting to pull up a little (on me and very low items) and will stand when placed against something. He stands on his tip-toes and stiffens up. His OT came today and said he's a lot more stiff than most babies and possibly has weaker muscles on his right side. She suggested stretching, putting on music to see if he'll bounce to it to loosen up those muscles, and pushing down on his hips to put more weight on his heels.
Any other suggestions? Anyone else's kid have this? How did they do? When did they start walking? OH and he's semi-crawling. He gets his tummy off the ground and is fairly fast, but he doesn't shift his weight and get on his knees, like one leg first then the other, it's more of a pulling forward motion.
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Stiff muscles
- By CoastieWife88
- Posted October 29, 2009 at 1:17 pm · 3 replies
- In Growing up and education
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- By M-and-D-Mommy
- Posted October 29, 2009 at 1:28 pm
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Hi,
I think I would ask for a consultation with a PT. In the future, maybe even make an appt with a neurologist to have him examined also. I think it always best to be over-informed, just to be safe, especially with our preemies. Good luck! Keep us updated.
- By Hopesmom08
- Posted October 29, 2009 at 4:22 pm
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I agree with Mand D mommy you can never be too careful.
- By mommyinneed
- Posted October 31, 2009 at 4:52 pm
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Well there are two different possibilities...
1) Sometimes preemies have muscle tone issues that they grow out of by 18 months. This is called transient tonal abnormalities of the premature infant. It is very common in preemies as their brains are immature and need time adjust.
2) the second possiblity is that your son may have cerebral palsy. Cerebral palsy is an unbrella term that covers brain damage (usually aquired before, during, or shortly after birth) If your son does have cp he may not be diagnosed right away because of the other possibility I mentioned above. The steps to diagnose CP usually starts with an MRI, this can allow the neurologist to see if there is any visibly brain damage. Next they look at your son's muscle tone. Are his muscles stiff most of the time? Does he have trouble sitting?
I'm not trying to alarm you, I just want you to have all of the facts to prepare yourself. My son was just diagnosed with spastic diplegia (cerebral palsy that primarily affects his legs) He also has a hard time separating his legs when he crawls. He's been in PT since june and has learned to do many new skills. (pull to stand, sit independantly, ect.) He is now 18 months and walks along furniture but still does not walk alone. The best thing you can do for your son is be his advocate. Take him to the specialists and see if they think it's anything to be concerned over. It may just be something he will grow out of. Start by seeing a PT. They are the ones who can help issues that involve gross motor.
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