What Are Hypotonia and Hypertonia?

Children with muscle tone disorders usually have either hypotonia or hypertonia. Hypotonia, which means low muscle tone, causes increased flexibility and looseness of the muscles. Hypertonia, which means high or too much muscle tone, causes rigidity, spasticity and inflexibility of the muscles.

All muscle tone disorders affect muscle strength, motor nerves and the brain. A child with a muscle tone disorder may have:

• Feeding issues
• Drooling
• Breathing issues
• Speech problems
• Apraxia
• Oral motor issues
• Hypermobile or hyperflexible joints
• Rigidity
• Inflexibility
• Rounded shoulders
• Poor posture
• Fine motor difficulties
• Gross motor difficulties
• Lack of appropriate body awareness
• Poor head control (infant)
• Weakened muscle tone
• Poor reflexes
• Low stamina
• Low endurance

Muscle tone disorders affecting the brain, nervous system and muscles are:

• Cerebral Palsy
• Muscular Dystrophy
• Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)

Muscle tone disorders caused by genetic conditions are:

• Prader-Willi Syndrome
• Tay-Sach’s Disease
• Down’s syndrome

Although neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism, ADHD and Sensory Processing Disorder are not diagnosed as muscle tone disorders per se, these children commonly have:

• Hypotonia
• Low muscle tone in the upper part of the body
• Body language difficulties
• Coordination difficulties
• Motor planning difficulties
• Poor motor skills
• Speech difficulties
• Oral motor issues

What Your Doctor May Tell You About Hypotonia and Hypertonia

Your child’s doctor or specialist will likely tell you that there is no cure for muscle tone disorders, but with various treatment protocols it is possible to improve the muscle tone to maximize physical function, increase independence and improve your child’s general quality of life.

Treatment protocols may also slow down the progression of other symptoms associated with muscle tone disorders such as muscle contractures, joint deformities and loss of function.

Your child’s doctor may suggest medications to help improve muscle function, stop seizures and reduce pain; however, in certain cases surgery may be advised as an alternative option.

Your child’s doctor may also let you know that early intervention therapies are going to help your child maximize the most benefits to assure the best long term outcomes.

He or she also will probably suggest any of the following therapeutic treatment options:

• Occupational therapy
• Physical therapy
• Speech therapy
• Language therapy
• Aquatic therapy
• Rehabilitation
• Braces/orthoses
• Customized seating
• Mobility training and equipment
• Assistive technology devices
• Augmentative communication devices
• Medication

Another Way to Think About Hypotonia and Hypertonia

The Microbiome

The microbiome is the newly discovered organ in our gastrointestinal system that is home to trillions of bacteria (microflora).

The human gut “microbiota” is the name given to the colonies of microbes that live in our digestive system.

These gut microbes are essential for communication with the brain and the immune system.

This connection between the gut and the brain is called the gut/brain axis.

The body makes muscle tone because we eat protein and in a healthy gastrointestinal tract, the protein gets broken down into amino acids.

These amino acids are vitally important because they feed the neurotransmitters in our brain which sends messages to the brain cells to tell the body what to do, and in this case, to create muscle tone.

If the microbiome is altered due to inflammation, not enough oxygen in the cells, and bad bacteria, then the normal digestive process is disrupted.

When this happens, not enough stomach acid is created to break down proteins, so amino acids are not feeding the neurotransmitters.

Without the amino acids, communication with the brain is limited and the neurotransmitters misfire, sending inappropriate messages.

Therefore, in order to have healthy brain functioning and a healthy body creating good muscle tone, a healthy microbiome is crucial.

The Krebs Cycle

Muscle contraction, on the other hand, requires ATP, known as adenosine triphosphate.

How is ATP created in our cells?

The Krebs cycle, found inside the mitochondria, is responsible for converting our food – carbohydrates, protein and fats – into energy.

The mitochondria are found inside our cells and have the primary job of converting this energy from the Krebs cycle and storing it in the ATP.

ATP needs a constant supply of energy from the Krebs cycle to create muscle contraction.

The Krebs cycle requires the following to supply energy to the body to create muscle contraction and many other processes:

• Oxygen
• Co-enzyme A (CoA)
• Co-enzyme 1 (NADH)
• Co-enzyme Q 10 (CoQ10)
• B vitamins

So if the Krebs cycle is not working appropriately because it lacks oxygen and/or the nutrients it needs to make it function, then there is going to be a breakdown in creating muscle contraction properly.

Muscle Tone Can Be Improved

The good news is the microbiome and gastrointestinal tract can be healed so that muscle tone can be improved.

The Krebs cycle can also be improved by giving the right nutrients to increase the production of energy to regulate muscle contraction.

There are also many important nutritional supplements for improving muscle tone and increasing protein and protein absorption in the body.

In addition, today there are many effective therapies for muscle tone disorders that can make a significant difference in a child’s life.

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) in a hard chamber provides oxygen under pressure improves muscle tone, increases oxygen to the brain and revives the idling neurons to make significant improvement in muscle tone disorders.

Pediasuit

Pediasuit is another effective approach to treating muscle tone disorders.

The pediasuit accelerates the development of new motor skills and eventually over time strengthens muscle.

The goal is to have the child learn how to sit, stand and walk.

To find out about more exciting holistic and alternative approaches available to improve muscle tone disorders, see below.

Hypotonia and Hypertonia Healing Checklist

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