2 year old child with clubfoot

Children with poor posture often suffer from colds, bronchitis, gastritis and constipation. However, if appropriate measures are taken in good time, such problems can be avoided. This requires regular physical activity such as B. Movement therapy, in which special exercises help to strengthen the back and abdominal muscles..

Signs and Symptoms of Cerebral Palsy

Cerebral palsy is the collective term for movement and behavioral disorders that appear in the first few months and years of a child's life. The first signs of cerebral palsy in a child can be noticed by doctors and parents soon after birth or a few months later when the child begins to lag behind physically.

Among the causes of cerebral palsy is a hereditary predisposition, but most often the disease develops during fetal development or as a result of abnormal childbirth. The increasing number of children with symptoms of cerebral palsy is also linked to advances in neonatology, which are allowing even critically undersized infants who are born severely premature (at 28-30 weeks) to survive.

Symptoms of cerebral palsy in the first year of life

Very often, the symptoms of cerebral palsy are detected during a routine examination. The early signs of pathology include:

• Delayed motor development – the child begins to hold his head, turn, sit up, stand up and walk much later than his peers;
• Abnormalities in muscle tone that cause the child to strain their legs, clench their hands into fists, or freeze in an unnatural position;
• increased tendon reflexes;
• poor coordination of movements;
• bad facial expressions
• impairment of swallowing and chewing of food;
• Lack of interest in toys and other objects, poor reaction to noise or being around people;
• occurrence of seizures;
• development of a squint.

Since cerebral palsy is a neurological disease, it always causes orthopedic disorders of varying degrees of severity. Most of these are irreversible, and only maximum correction of the pathological condition can be considered.

The most striking cardinal symptom of cerebral palsy is disturbed muscle tone. In cerebral palsy, muscle tension increases or decreases as the muscles are unable to relax, resulting in a loss of coordination of movements.

As the child ages, the main symptom of cerebral palsy (impaired muscle tone) is exacerbated by the development of joint contractures, curvature of the neck and spine, muscle spasms and limb twitching.

Causes of squinting in children

• ametropia – astigmatism, myopia, hyperopia;
• abnormal development of the eye muscles;
• Congenital defects of the visual apparatus;
• pathology of the central nervous system;
• eye injuries;
• Severe somatic diseases;
• infections;
• Frequent stress, psychological trauma.

types of squinting

Depending on the nature of the deviation, the disease can take the following forms:

Methods of treating strabismus in children

Synoptophore for the instrumental treatment of strabismus in the Optical Center Clinic

Appropriate and timely treatment allows for the complete correction of the abnormal eye position and the restoration of the child's normal visual acuity. Early diagnosis will help avoid non-invasive methods and get rid of the problem without surgery. Treatment of strabismus in children includes the following steps:

• Comprehensive examination and determination of the severity of the disease;
• Early correction with optical aids - lenses, glasses;
• treatment of amblyopia;
• restoration of binocular vision;
• consolidation of the results achieved;
• Training in stereoscopic vision.

• increase in visual acuity;
• Correction of cosmetic imperfections, which is especially important for children over 10 years old;
• correction of intraocular muscle work;
• Training of binocular vision.

At the beginning, the children are prescribed an optical correction. It helps maintain visual acuity and prevents vision loss in the affected eye.

Treatment of strabismus with braces

If the squint angle is insignificant, then braces treatment is prescribed. It is performed from the age of 1 year, but some children start this treatment as early as 2-3 years of age. The treatment with the device consists of two phases:

1. To restore visual acuity, pleoptic methods are used. These include laser stimulation of the retina, special computer programs, occlusion of the affected eye and magnet therapy.
2. Orthoptic therapy – helps to develop binocular vision. The stimulation is carried out by computer programs, laser systems and magnetic stimulation.

surgical treatment

If the squint angle is significant, it is surgically corrected. These operations are performed in children's eye clinics. After the operation, children are prescribed comprehensive treatment. This allows the effects to be eliminated and the symmetry of the eyes to be fully restored.

Causes of dyspraxia

The causes of dyspraxia are not yet clear. Likely causes include a misalignment of certain brain regions, slow development of certain parts of the brain, or damage to the child's nerve tissue. Heredity can also play an important role.

Coordination disorders in children should only be treated by a qualified medical specialist. Only a doctor can tell you how to treat movement disorders in your child, how to eliminate complications from movement disorders, and how to prevent them. The main specialist in this field is, among other things, a neurologist. Treatment can improve behavior and reduce anxiety and other emotional problems, both in the patient and in the family as a whole. Physiotherapy is an important part of treatment. Their main goal is the gradual development of the necessary motor skills in children. Children with this condition are often referred to swim. They are advised to perform specific exercises.

Treatment of hypertension and hypotension in infants

In order to prescribe appropriate treatment for hypertension or hypotension in an infant, it is necessary to visit a neurologist, who will conduct a detailed examination and prescribe a set of measures, which will include:

• Massage;
• osteopathic treatment
• Gymnastics;
• To swim;
• Physiotherapy, water and mud treatment, magnetic therapy, electrophoresis, ultrasound and heat therapy;
• Drugs to relieve muscle spasms, vitamins, herbal supplements and homeopathic remedies.

Treating hypertonia requires relieving excessive muscle tension. In the case of uncomplicated forms of hypertension, contrast baths with relaxing herbal preparations and massages are indicated. Having mastered the basic techniques of massage, parents can do it themselves at home: the massage movements are stroking (with hands and arms), light rubbing, rocking on a fitball. In no case should sharp movements (clapping, chopping) be used, nor should the child be placed in a bouncer or baby walker - this will only increase muscle tension and strain on the spine.

However, in the case of hypotonia, all of the above 'don'ts' are allowed, since the main aim of the massage is to stimulate the muscles. In addition to toning massages, the doctor may recommend swimming lessons and special exercises with a fitness ball to tone muscles.

Massage and exercise are usually enough to relieve muscle tension in a newborn. However, if the disorder persists and over time you notice strange tightness in certain muscles and delayed mental development in your child, you should make an appointment with a neurologist immediately.

Causes of posture disorders in children

Postural disorders in children are any type of posture in which the child's back is not upright. This leads to deformations of the spine in various planes, including a deepening of the physiological curves in the lumbar and cervical spine.

The deformities can be congenital or acquired. However, while the former are caused by the formation of additional vertebrae or wedge deformities during the fetal period and occur only in 5-10 % of cases, the latter represent the overwhelming majority and develop under the influence of negative factors during life.

The most common causes of bad posture in children include:

• Insufficient physical activity;
• Unsuitable work tables and chairs for the child's height;
• Insufficient lighting of the homework area;
• Inadequate weight distribution on the back and carrying a bag or backpack on one shoulder;
• hunched over, etc.

This causes some muscles to contract and others to relax excessively. The spine begins to deform, which aggravates the situation.

Children with an asthenic physique (narrow shoulders and chest, long and thin arms and legs, weak muscles, thinness) are most prone to postural defects.

Various types of diseases can also contribute to postural defects:

• valgus deformities of the foot;
• fractures of the spine;
• Rickets;
• Tuberculosis;
• Poliomyelitis;
• osteomyelitis;
• shortening of one of the legs;
• Visual and hearing impairments (children unconsciously assume an involuntary posture in which information is better understood).

Types and symptoms of postural disorders in children

There are several types of posture disorders, on which further treatment tactics depend. This includes:

• Flat back – flattening of all natural vertebral arches;
• Flat back – increased lumbar flexion (lordosis) with slight flexion of the cervical and thoracic spine;
• Tilted back - increased chest flexion (kyphosis) with decreased lumbar lordosis;
• round back - increased thoracic kyphosis with almost no lumbar lordosis;
• rounded back – increased, natural curvature of the spine;
• Scoliosis is a deformation of the spine in the lateral plane, which manifests itself in asymmetry on the right and left side of the body.

Postural anomalies can vary in severity. There are 4 grades, grade 1 being characterized by slight deviations from the norm and grade 4 by severe deviations. In the latter case, the deformities can only be corrected by surgery.

A postural problem is indicated by the following symptoms:

• Fatigue quickly, loss of interest in physical games;
• Alzheimer's disease with pain in the back, neck, shoulders or head;
• Difficulty maintaining a posture for a long time;
• appearance of curvatures during movement;
• Head tilted forward, shoulder blades protruding outwards, buttocks flattened;
• Slumped shoulders, sunken chest, decreased muscle tone in the upper half of the body, legs half bent at the knees;
• Head and shoulders are tilted forward, abdomen and pelvis are bulging, knees are excessively bent when walking;
• Shoulders and shoulder blades are at different levels, the head is often tilted to one side, the pelvis is crooked, etc.

If parents notice any of these symptoms in their child, they should see a neurologist, orthopedist, or spine specialist immediately. The doctor will professionally examine the child and, if necessary, recommend instrumental examinations (X-ray, CT, MRI) to determine the exact degree of deformity and the cause of the change in the child's posture.

Can strabismus in children be treated?

Often, when parents become aware of the problem, they try to find answers on the Internet by typing into a search engine: 'My child has squint. What should I do?'. There is no way around it: you need to contact an experienced ophthalmologist. The sooner the better for the child.

There are three types of treatment for strabismus in children: conservative treatment, instrumental treatment and surgical treatment. Let's take a closer look at what each type of treatment entails.

Conservative treatment. The first step in correcting strabismus in children is fitting glasses (optical correction). Sometimes a single pair of glasses (or soft contact lenses) is enough to teach the child to combine the images seen with both eyes into one. In order for the poorly seeing eye to develop its full potential, the other eye is temporarily covered with a black eye patch and then swapped with the other eye. This treatment is called occlusion therapy.

It is a kind of instrumental treatment. Correction of strabismus in children using exercises on a special device - the synoptophore (when the two images that the child sees, sometimes blinking, sometimes fading, gradually merge into one). The goal of instrumental treatment of squinting in children is to eliminate amblyopia (loss of visual acuity), which almost always accompanies squinting.

surgical. Surgical intervention is recommended when the angle of deviation of the eye is more than 10 degrees from the anatomically normal position. This is often the only treatment for strabismus in children.

! Please note that it is up to the doctors to decide on the treatment method depending on the individual characteristics of the patient concerned.

Ideal result: The operation should be carried out in such a way that the patient not only sees well after the operation, but that nobody even suspects that the operation has been carried out. The result should be maximum for the child. As an eye surgeon with 17 years of experience, I see this as the main goal of my work. My colleagues at Morozov Hospital see it the same way. My advice to parents is simple: do not be afraid of young specialists. It's important to remember that surgery is a craft. The greater the surgical flow, the greater the doctor's competence, and his age does not matter. Complications after surgical correction of strabismus are also not to be feared - they are extremely rare. The most common cases are hypopituitarism or hyperopia. In the first case, the correct position of the eyes is not achieved, but this is not a problem: everything can be corrected with additional treatment with braces, the use of occlusion. In hyperreflection we are dealing with the patient having convergent strabismus and now having divergent strabismus. This requires several interventions. But these are also isolated cases. They are the exception and not the rule.

How is the operation performed?

Modern ophthalmologists say that the best surgery is the one that is not performed. Surgery is only resorted to when all other methods have been exhausted.

Correcting strabismus in children is a straightforward surgical procedure that is performed under general anesthesia on the same day. The surgery can be either debilitating or restorative, depending on whether one of the muscles that move the eyeball needs to be weakened or strengthened to correct the problem in the individual case.

After squint surgery in children, the rehabilitation time is about a week and is usually well tolerated by the children.

By the way, the MHI basic program offers a minimally invasive surgical correction with Vicryl (the thinnest self-absorbable suture) and mini-docking, which leaves no visible scar.

If you wish to be admitted to a planned hospital with a disorder such as strabismus, call the Moscow Health Capital Project helpline: +7 (495) 587-70-88 or submit an application on the Ministry of Health's website.

When special footwear is required

If for some reason your child is walking incorrectly, special footwear can help solve the problem. For example, therapeutic and preventive models from the Turkish brand Theo Leo.

In our online shop you will always find orthopedic products for children of all ages, from 2 years. If you've noticed that your child's foot twists or arches to one side while walking, you should look for slippers with a high, rigid back support that perfectly fixes the ankle in an anatomical position, preventing deformity.

The Theo Leo is the best shoe for those first steps. Give your child the shoes they love so they can really walk in them.

Indications for physical therapy classes

If a child has not been accustomed to performing a set of special exercises to strengthen the back since childhood, then during school years, due to the sharp increase in the load on the spine, parents may notice a number of signs indicating the need for prevention when they monitor their child's behavior carefully.

Signs of incipient back problems include.:

• rapid fatigue;
• awkwardness and clumsiness in movement;
• child's refusal to play physical games;
• Complaints of headaches and pain in the neck area;
• pain in the limbs that occurs after walking;
• Seated posture with resting hands;
• difficulty staying in one position for long periods of time;
• Characteristic crunching of the joints when moving.

Parents experiencing one or more of these symptoms should see a specialist as soon as possible. Only a doctor can prescribe the appropriate medication and the necessary treatments to correct the existing postural abnormalities..

In addition, exercises to strengthen the spine are recommended for children with:

• general developmental delay;
• scoliosis
• Rickets;
• hip dysplasia;
• misalignment of the intervertebral discs;
• flat feet;
• clubfoot;
• wry neck.

• You can read about the prevention and treatment of scoliosis in children here
• Massage for scoliosis in children
• Scoliosis exercises for children
• You can find out when and how hyperkyphosis develops in children at https://spinatitana.com/pozvonochnik/grudnoj-otdel/kifoz/kifoz-u-detej-prichiny-vozniknoveniya-zabolevaniya.html.

Back strengthening exercises for children

Depending on the age of the child, his emotional state and other physiological indicators, the doctor determines the duration of physiotherapy exercises to strengthen the spine.

On average, the duration of the movement is as follows:

1. Infants up to 6 months of age benefit from 10 to 20 minutes of exercise per day;
2. Infants aged 6 to 12 months benefit from 30 minutes of daily exercise;
3. Children between the ages of one and three can move up to 30-40 minutes a day.

Infants should be encouraged to move gradually as their spine is not fully formed.

The first exercises should be guided by a professional massage therapist.Ideally, the first session should be led by a professional massage therapist who can show parents the right technique.

Therapeutic and strengthening exercises for the back muscles should be performed with a certain frequency. You should start classes three times a week.. If your child responds positively to the exercises, the frequency can be increased to daily.

In terms of technique, it's important to remember that every workout should start with a warm-up. This should be followed by a series of basic exercises, which always include stretching exercises. Universal exercises should be avoided.

Exercises that cause pain and discomfort to the child should also be avoided. As with any other sport, it's best to exercise 50-60 minutes before or after a meal.

When exercising for therapeutic purposes, a few simple but mandatory rules can help maximize benefits, reduce risk of injury, and avoid side effects Rules to be observed:

Causes of dyspraxia

The causes of dyspraxia are not clearly known, but recent neurophysiological research suggests that the condition is caused by underdevelopment or immaturity of brain neurons rather than brain damage. Hypoxic-ischemic brain damage during the perinatal period plays a special role in the development of the disease.

Dyspraxia (impaired ability to perform purposeful movements) cannot be diagnosed until after the age of seven, when it can be differentiated from coordinative motor disorders.

Dyspraxia can only be diagnosed by a pediatrician or a pediatric neurologist or psychoneurologist.

Manifestations of 'clumsy child' syndrome:

• Delayed physical development.
• The child is slow to learn to dress and eat independently.
• Sloppy food, poor knife and fork handling
• Awkward in performing a goal-directed activity
• Cannot jump or not well, rides bike poorly, often falls on level ground, stumbles while walking.
• Can't play ball well.
• Has difficulty writing and drawing.
• Various psycho-emotional and behavioral complexes.
• Unsteady and sluggish posture.

Children with this diagnosis have some difficulty in social interactions, often being refusing to interact with their peers. It is not easy for an 'unstable' child to adapt to healthy children in everyday life. Such children are exhausted because their energy expenditure for completing normal daily tasks is much higher than that of their healthy peers.

treatment of dyspraxia

Treatment for dyspraxia should be comprehensive. Depending on the type and severity of the disorder, neurologists, psychologists, and speech therapists should be involved in treatment.

• Encourage your child and help them acquire special skills.
• Praise your child for every attempt at an activity, regardless of the outcome.
• Remember to keep a daily routine.
• Set clear and understandable goals for your child.
• Start with activities that the child enjoys.
• Be patient with your child.

Games to promote coordination skills in children with dyspraxia:

(Development of fine motor skills, sense of touch, tactile sensitivity).

Place up to 10 small objects in an opaque cloth bag and show them to the child beforehand: pen, bottle cap, notebook, remote control, etc. The child identifies the objects in the bag by touch.

(Develops fine hand muscles, verbal coherence, memory and imagination).

While speaking the text: 'There is a lock on the door.

who can open it
pull it, turn it,
Knock and open it!',
Rhythmic rapid interlacing of fingers, then spreading hands, wiggle hands with interlaced fingers, slap palms together, release fingers, spread palms apart. Multiple reps.

(encourages coordination and speed of movement of large and small muscle groups, develops correct posture, trains attention, improves vision and hearing, coordinates trunk and limb movements).

You will need 20 cm sticks, string or pieces of string, toy horses or other toys of your choice.

The children sit on chairs and hold sticks, to which toy horses (or other toys) are tied with string at a distance of 15-20 paces. At a signal, the children begin to wrap the string on the stick, bringing the toy closer together.

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