Patient's question:
My baby is 18 months old. When she was 3 months old, she had high muscle tone and underwent rehabilitation treatment. Later, the doctor said she was fine. Now at 18 months, she can walk, but sometimes she walks on her toes and her body always leans forward. What should I do? Urgent!Doctor's answer:
High muscle tone in babies can be harmful. Mild cases may lead to uneven muscle development, while severe cases can cause abnormal walking postures, such as pigeon-toed walking or X-legs, or even walking with a buttock-up posture. Therefore, early detection, intervention, and treatment are crucial for abnormal muscle tone. Typically, healthy check-ups at 3 months can identify the issue, and treatment within the first 4 months allows for early intervention. Generally, treatment yields good results with rapid improvement, enabling complete self-recovery without interfering with future activities or development. The latest time for correction and treatment should be before the baby is 18 months old.Current treatment primarily focuses on massage and rehabilitation training, supplemented with activities like ice-skating therapy and electrotherapy. If there is significant brain damage, acupuncture or brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) injections may be necessary.
Home care: Perform infant massage exercises daily, including lifting the baby, raising arms horizontally, crossing arms across the chest, learning to kick in a wheel-like motion with alternating legs, holding the ankles and quickly rotating the feet and legs, and practicing placing the soles of the feet against the calves.