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:

• 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:

• 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:

• Braces/orthoses
• Customized seating
• Mobility training and equipment
• Assistive technology devices
• Augmentative communication devices
• Medication

Another Way to Think About Hypotonia and Hypertonia

It is becoming increasingly more common that children develop hypotonia or hypertonia a few months after birth. Think back on your child’s history and see if there are clues that point to any neurological assault that showed up as a developmental delay after illness, pediatrician visit or medication administration.

The Microbiome

The microbiome in our gastrointestinal system is home to trillions of bacteria, viruses, yeast, potential parasites and other organisms (microflora). This “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 when 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 that 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 gut pathogens, 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 creating neurotransmitters. Without enough 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. We recommend cleaning up your child’s diet, followed by an elimination diet and then a gut-healing diet to help get the microbiome back into optimal functioning.

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, which occurs inside the mitochondria, is responsible for converting our food – carbohydrates, protein and fats – into energy. ATP needs a constant supply of clean 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)
• Methylated B vitamins

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. The MTHFR genetic mutation is a common contributor to mitochondrial dysfunction.

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. We recommend working with a knowledgeable practitioner such as a naturopath, MAPS doctor or functional-medicine doctor that can determine what your child’s needs are. In addition, today there are many effective therapies for muscle tone disorders that can make a significant difference in a child’s life.

Vestibular Stimulation

One of the easiest and simplest things you can do to improve your child’s muscle tone is to stimulate your child’s vestibular sense, which is controlled by the inner ears. Have your child do things like hang upside down over the couch, roll down sideways on a hill of grass, or other exercises that get the head in a different plane so that the fluid in the inner ear moves around. Remember that ear infections can affect the fluid in the ear. An occupational therapist can provide additional exercises that help with vestibular stimulation; hippotherapy can help as well. Language improvement can be an unexpected benefit to these exercises, as well.

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) in a hard chamber provides oxygen under pressure and can improve muscle tone, increasesoxygen to the brain and revive 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 holistic and alternative approaches available to improve muscle tone disorders, see below.

Hypotonia and Hypertonia Healing Checklist

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