Why people tiptoe

It depends on the situation - sometimes it is possible if the root cause of the problem is addressed. But even if this is not possible, with the help of doctors the patient will feel better.

tremors in humans

Tremor is associated with movement disorders. Externally, it manifests itself through small movements in parts of the body. Tremors in the hands are common – these involuntary movements make life very difficult for patients, preventing them from performing simple tasks and often taking care of themselves, although the condition is not technically life-threatening or life-saving. The problem often occurs in people over the age of 65, and the older the patients are, the more it progresses. However, it depends on the particular condition - it is not uncommon for a tremor caused by certain factors to go away once those factors are also eliminated.

There are different types of tremor, with a distinction being made between primary and secondary tremor. Primary, essential tremor occurs spontaneously, while secondary tremor is a reaction to various diseases, conditions, or the effects of certain medications.

It is also important to distinguish between physiological and pathological tremor. Physiological tremor is considered normal and occurs in healthy people, for example, with severe anxiety. It is characterized by a small amplitude of movements and the ability of the person to eliminate this condition on their own - simply by calming down.

The pathological condition is caused by various disorders in the nervous system. It is divided into a variety of different subtypes - for example, there is the so-called cerebellar variant.

In addition, another group of disorders can be distinguished: motor disorders and rest disorders. There are also different forms of motor tremor. We won't describe everything, but let's take kinetic tremor as an example - this is the type of tremor seen when attempting to perform an activity. If it is a non-targeted activity (conventional - any activity), we speak of the simple kinetic variant of the disease. When the activity is goal-directed (e.g., the patient wants to get a cup) and the tremor increases on its own as it approaches the goal, the tremor is said to be intensional.

causes

trembling of the limbs

There are many causes of hand tremor:

  • Genetic factor (causes a significant form of the disorder).
  • Parkinson's disease.
  • Certain pathologies of the endocrine system.
  • Metabolic Disorders. For example, Wilson-Conovalov disease can be the cause.
  • Lesions of cerebral vessels - different types of strokes.
  • infectious diseases. This includes epidemic encephalitis.
  • Various growths: from tumors to hematomas.
  • taking certain medications. Some antidepressants and neuroleptics cause a shock effect.
  • Severe poisoning - carbon monoxide, heavy metal salts.
  • Withdrawal syndrome caused by withdrawal from a substance to which a person is addicted. This includes drugs, alcohol and some strong medications.

These are not all factors - there are others in the medical practice that may be the cause of limb tremors.

How does the foot work when walking?

We have dorsiflexors and soleus flexors. These work as you walk and also help prevent the child from leaning backwards or forwards, ie maintaining balance. Only then can the child stand on one foot and take a step—first a primitive step, then a full step with foot roll and full range of motion.

A child who walks on tiptoe has acquired one of many walking patterns. That means it carries weight and simply bounces. This is a very simple and even primitive way of walking.

In order for a child to develop a correct, complete gait, in which all muscles and fascia that serve the child are activated and the nervous system is properly activated, the child must have independent contact with the environment from the first year of life. But because the parents simply put them on their feet and lead them by the hand, they only develop the one, simplest movement pattern. The result is toe walking.

Walking on tiptoe for a long time leads to various secondary changes. With this type of walking, the toes and tendons are supported, the muscles become fibrous due to overloading, ie they grow into the connective tissue and lose their elasticity and flexibility.

What should I do if my child walks on their toes?

If your child is constantly walking on their toes, don't rush to book an appointment with a neurologist. The pills and lozenges that neurologists love to prescribe to children won't help. Endless admonitions and yelling don't help either, so don't argue with your child about it.

Such a child must first change this movement pattern and the properties of these muscles. And this takes a lot of time, and training at home will help in this.

Why duckwalk occurs

myopathies

Primary myopathies are inherited disorders caused by inborn errors of metabolism in muscle tissue. They often manifest themselves under the influence of external factors: trauma, acute infections, poisoning, physical overload. Symptoms gradually progress. Gait is complemented by a complete loss of muscle mass (pseudohypertrophy of muscles is sometimes possible).

Patients feel weak, have difficulty moving, cannot walk or jump, and need special techniques to get out of a chair and move from a horizontal to a vertical position. The following hereditary progressive muscular dystrophies are symptomatic:

  • Duchenne disease. It manifests itself in the first years of life. It first manifests itself as a delayed development of motor skills. Increasing muscle weakness occurs by the age of 3 or 4 years.
  • Erb-Roth disease. Onset of symptoms in early adolescence, weakness of the hip and pelvic girdle muscles early in the disease and rapid development of a waddling gait.
  • Becker disease. As in the previous case, the first symptom of the disease is weakness of the proximal muscles of the lower limbs.

In addition to hereditary myopathies, pathologies with similar symptoms appear as a result of bacterial, viral or parasitic infectious and inflammatory processes in the muscles. In addition, myopathies with duck gait can develop in dermatomyositis, polymyositis, myositis with inclusions and some metabolic diseases.

Lambert-Eaton Syndrome

It is a secondary autoimmune disease. In more than half of the cases it is provoked by malignant tumors (mainly small cell lung carcinoma) and classified as a paraneoplastic syndrome, and the manifestation of myasthenia gravis can occur several years before the symptoms of malignant lesions of one or another organ.

The syndrome is observed less frequently in autoimmune diseases (SLE, rheumatoid arthritis). The duck-like gait is a typical symptom of Lambert-Eaton pathology. The reason for the change in gait is that muscle weakness is most pronounced in the upper limbs. Patients complain of weakness in the lower limbs. A combination of myalgias, sensory and autonomic dysfunction may be present.

diagnosis

Depending on the suspected etiology of the duck gait, the diagnosis is made by a neurologist or an orthopedic surgeon. When the complaints and anamnesis are collected, the timing and progression of the gait disturbance and the presence of other symptoms are determined. The doctor evaluates the dynamics of the symptom and looks for connections with other diseases.

During the general examination, the specialist will note external changes characteristic of myopathy (decreased muscle mass, protruding abdomen, winged shoulder blades), swelling of the kidneys, bone deformities and other symptoms that indicate a possible origin of the disease. Based on the results of the medical history and the physical examination, it is recommended to carry out the following examinations, among others:

  • ROENTGEN. If a congenital dislocation of the hip is suspected, an X-ray examination of the hip joints, an X-ray examination of the sacroiliac joints and an X-ray examination of the deformed segments are performed.
  • Computed tomography (CT). It is meaningful in orthopedic diseases and is carried out in the final phase of the examination to clarify the severity and extent of the disease.
  • magnetic resonance imaging. It is useful for diagnosing congenital hip dislocation in young children. Allows reliable confirmation of the diagnosis when cartilaginous tissue predominates, which is poorly visible on conventional radiographs in younger patients.
  • Electrophysiological Techniques. ENG and EMG are the main methods for the differential diagnosis of myopathies and other possible causes of muscle weakness (CNS tumors, myelitis, myelopathies).
  • muscle biopsy. Obtaining a biopsy specimen and subsequent morphological examination of the material plays an important role in confirming myopathy and determining the form of the disease. The specimens alternately show normal and atrophic myofibrils, fat and connective tissue inclusions.
  • laboratory tests.. Patients with myopathy have elevated urinary creatinine and elevated levels of LDH, AST, ALT, creatine phosphokinase, and other enzymes in the blood. Genetic studies show relevant mutations.

Why bad?

The osteopath points out that the toe walk in a child cannot be described as physiological. 'Is toe walking natural for a child who has just started walking and is still struggling to balance, let alone for a child who is already walking well? Obviously not. Because maintaining balance requires maximum support of the entire footprint. So why does the child make this difficult by constantly or occasionally leaning only on the front foot? In fact, in a child's particular situation, this is an adaptive response and the least bad thing', says Vladimir Zhivotov.

'Toe tips are a dangerous sign,' warns the osteopath. And he immediately mentions several problems. And the first of these is muscle hypertonicity.

'Constantly tense muscles are a direct result of birth trauma, which led to dysfunction of the nerve centers that regulate skeletal muscle tone. Flexor muscle tone is increased. That's why the legs get in that position,' warns Vladimir Zhivotov.

The osteopath explains why boys walk on their toes more often than girls. The fact is, on average, boys have larger heads than girls, which means they are more likely to sustain a birth injury.

Another effect of birth trauma that causes a baby to walk on tiptoe is acute and intense tightening of the neck muscles. 'Absolutely all babies who tiptoe have excessive neck tension! This tension is created to protect the neck damaged at birth and spreads to the entire posterior superficial chain and transfers to the calf muscles,' explains Vladimir Zhivotov. – says Vladimir Zhivotov.

There is another important mechanism that plays a role in the development of the pathology, explains the osteopath. 'When the skull is compressed and twisted during birth, the dura mater is stretched. The tension is transferred to the neck muscles and descends to the sacrum, which creates a background for the tension in the leg muscles,' emphasizes the specialist. – emphasizes the specialist.

Can you outgrow them?

It is believed that a child can 'grow out' of this symptom. In fact, over time, the child begins to walk with the whole foot. 'But the foot only goes to the heel because the child's weight is increasing and the flexor muscles of the foot are unable to keep it on the toes all the time. The muscles are constantly tense, and even an adult can feel it! The muscles on the back of the lower leg are tight, difficult to stretch, and there is severe pain when massaging the lower leg. Legs tire quickly when walking and running. So, muscle strains caused by birth trauma will remain for the rest of life if the causes that caused them are not eliminated, says Vladimir Zhivotov.

The typical recommendation is to wear special footwear that fixes the foot in the correct position, says the osteopath. But that's not always right, says the specialist. 'Orthopaedic shoes do not affect the muscle tension regulation centers in the brain. When it comes to muscle tension in the dura and suboccipital muscles, stiff shoes can only make them worse for the following reasons.

In the type of birth injury described, the calf muscles receive a constant impulse from the brain to contract. Contracting and lifting the baby on tiptoe is the only way for the muscles to release the tension in any way. Wearing stiff boots artificially stretches the calf muscles, but the impulses from the brain keep coming. Because the muscle can no longer contract, it begins to break down and becomes covered with connective tissue (scar tissue) that is very difficult to repair. In addition, the growing leg of the child must be properly loaded and be able to move freely' – says the osteopath.

Eliminating the symptom of 'spasm' requires restoring the correct position of the bones at the base of the skull and ensuring good blood flow to the subcortical centers of the brain. Osteopathic treatment combined with physiotherapy is the most effective in this regard, says Vladimir Zhivotov.

What are the symptoms of this condition?

  1. The sufferer loses the ability to walk (or at least walk a short distance) because of impaired coordination of movements or because of pronounced dizziness.
  2. When lying down, the person is able to move the lower limbs freely without assistance.
  3. When the sufferer is on their feet, they try to keep their balance by holding on to some support.

Diagnosis in modern medical examinations can reveal a whole range of internal physical conflicts.

There are external similarities between Abasia and Astasia, so it is necessary to correctly distinguish the patient's condition.

In order to make a correct diagnosis, several basic criteria must be taken into account:

  • Presence of coordination disorders of varying severity, inability to stand, ataxia;
  • Determining the connection between the occurrence of symptoms and stressful events or other influencing factors;
  • total or partial loss of the patient's ability to perform movements under his or her volitional control;
  • Absence of physical disorders that could cause similar symptoms.

Treat and do not aggravate the condition

Psychotherapy plays a key role in the treatment of asthenia.

Pharmacotherapy can only serve as a springboard for later psychotherapy. It is used in the form of short-term therapies for autonomic disorders accompanying the disease.

Drugs that can be used as part of pharmacotherapy to treat Astasia abasia:

The condition can be treated on an outpatient basis, in a day clinic, or in a general hospital.

Inpatient treatment is indicated when the disorder is severe, adjustment is impaired, and the patient needs to be removed from a psychotraumatic environment or situation.

Also Inpatient treatment is recommended even in complex cases with a diagnosis when appropriate therapy is required..

Abasa's asthma is a very complex condition that can prevent a person from leading a full life.

Self-treatment of such a condition should never be attempted! Treatment should only be prescribed by a qualified medical specialist!

Five causes of toe asthma

In addition to the categories of children who can be affected by this problem, there is also a classification of the 'pointed toes' themselves. There are five types of this condition in total. I called the first category 'emotional socks'. This is because the toe socks in toddlers appear like they are at the height of their emotions. Mentally retarded children (particularly those diagnosed with autism) literally 'take off' at the moment of an emotional outburst. At that moment, they begin to flap their arms (like birds flap their wings) and tiptoe.
When the emotional outburst state in children with mental retardation predominates over the other states, these children begin to tiptoe on an almost non-stop basis. So, from simple emotional outbursts, such 'outbursts' in a child can develop into regular physical states. In other words, after a period of time, they are unable to walk on their heels. She is physically pulled up until the toes adopt their 'natural' gait.
The second category of toes I am referring to the toes of children who are perfectly mentally sane but suffer from a neurological condition - cerebral palsy. These children suffer from severe spasticity of the calf muscles. And this was evident even before the child could stand on its feet. Its toes were in a straightened position before it could even walk.
Humans have the strongest and strongest tendon, the Achilles tendon (heel tendon). When we stand up and move, the Achilles tendon stretches. This tendon has a certain range of motion. When a child has muscle tension, they don't move their feet. Because of this, the Achilles tendon cannot stretch and is at rest. This means that even if the parents put their hand on the child's foot and try to move it, nothing will happen. Therefore, the problem in such a child is not just a muscle problem - it is also a shortening of the tendon itself. It prevents the muscles from being able to expand.

The child tiptoes: what to do?

How to get rid of toe walking: what to do 'Walk on tiptoe?? You need to correct the valgus and work on your lower back. Make sure your heels are back in place. And she has to support her pelvis again. But if you put it off and keep delaying the correction of the bunions, the pelvis will twist a lot and the bunions will become high toes, which unfortunately cannot be corrected anymore.

'high toes' can occur in children as young as six months old if they already have a problem with
with the lower back. This usually happens when the child is not crawling, when the child sits in the frog position for a long time, when the child is placed in a bouncy seat, or when the child is only toe-off when jumping. (A 7-8 month old baby can only physically push off the ground with his toes - this is an artificial modeling of a future problem).
In my practice, parents described toe (and lower back) problems that were exacerbated by external factors—the use of jumping and walking aids. The feet moved well, but the toes were tight.

Therefore, it is extremely important that parents do not miss the moment when the child crosses a certain point and begins to constantly walk on his toes. This is an alarm signal that it is time to act decisively!

The most common causes of ataxia (clumsiness) are.

Different parts of the nervous system are responsible for the correct interaction of many muscle groups, so damage to even one of these elements can lead to impaired correct execution of complex movements and the occurrence of ataxia.

The causes of ataxia can be divided according to the location of the damage in the nervous system.

  1. The first cause is damage to the cerebellum itself . This can be caused, for example, by alcohol abuse, stroke, cancer, trauma, poisoning or illness. The most common diseases that damage the cerebellum include polygenic atrophy, hereditary cerebellar ataxia, multiple sclerosis, telangiectasia ataxia, Hartnup's disease, gangliosidosis, and cerebellar angle tumors.
  2. The second cause is damage to the nerve pathways that supply the cerebellum with nerve impulses resulting in a lack of information about the location of specific body parts. Diseases that can cause these problems include. Polyneuropathies, peripheral nerve diseases, spinal cord damage, e.g. B. vitamin B-12 deficiency, cancer metastases, inflammation.

It is important to realize that ataxia is not always caused by disease or damage to structures in the nervous system. Transient ataxia can also occur as a result of chemical poisoning or as a paroxysmal metabolic disorder that is genetic.

How the ataxia manifests itself

Very often, ataxia goes unnoticed because it manifests itself as a simple clumsiness that does not bother the patient. The presence of ataxia is often only determined and recognized during a neurological examination.

The first troubling symptoms the patient experiences are problems with gait and balance, and an increasing sense of clumsiness that makes it difficult for them to perform precise tasks. For example, patients with ataxia have difficulty picking up a glass and drinking water from it; once the vessel is grasped, there is a tremor, which increases when the glass is raised to the mouth, and then the liquid spills out. Patients with clumsiness also have difficulty closing and opening buttons.

Ataxia can affect not only the muscles of the limbs and trunk, but also the joint muscles, such as the jaw muscles, which are responsible for the production of sounds. This can lead to speech impediments.

Symptoms of muscular hypertension in a child

It is difficult to identify muscle hypertonia immediately after birth, as it is normal in all infants up to three months of age. Normally, the infant's arms and legs are slightly bent and pressed against the body, and the head is tilted back slightly - this is because there is more tension in the flexor muscles. The muscle tone of an infant does not match that of an adult until the age of 1.5-2 years. However, observant parents, especially if it is not their first child, may find that the child's arms and legs are very difficult to straighten.

With severe hypertonicity, the child's arms and legs are tightly pressed to the body, the head is constantly tilted back, and the chin is often shaken. Shakes and cries when disturbed by bright lights or strong noises, sleeps poorly, sucks the breast anxiously, and vomits. It may be underweight.

The increased muscle tone continues after three months, allowing the baby to hold up his head and later sit up. When he stands up in the crib, he stands on his toes and begins to walk on his toes. Some infants move in this way even if they can already walk well. Sometimes muscle hypertonicity manifests itself in clubfoot when walking.

It is very important to pay attention to muscular hypertonia and initiate treatment, otherwise the child will lag behind not only in physical but also in neuropsychiatric development, since these two factors are closely related. Muscle hypertonia can be one of the symptoms of cerebral palsy - this serious condition is more manageable when caught early.

How is muscle hypertonia treated?

Gymnastics and massage are the most important forms of therapy. Massage should only be performed by professionals, that is, healthcare professionals who are trained and certified as pediatric massage therapists. Relaxation massages are performed at intervals of 10-15 treatments per day over a period of at least three months. Incorrectly performed massage not only does not help, but can increase muscle hypertonicity.

Simultaneously with the massage, a number of therapeutic exercises are performed. The masseur not only offers gymnastics lessons for the child, but also teaches the parents the technique – remedial gymnastics must be practiced every day.

Almost always such children are prescribed physical therapy: electrophoresis with medicinal solutions, application of paraffin or ozokerite, etc. This helps to relieve muscle tension. Muscle relaxants, blood flow enhancers, B vitamins, and others are used to treat muscle hypertonia.

If a child walks on tiptoe or has a clubfoot, it also needs to be examined by an orthopedist - the pathology may be related to joint dysplasia, and the child needs to be treated by this specialist.

If parents are wondering why their child is tiptoeing, they should consult a doctor.

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The first pillar is sleep

Sleep is one of the most important supports in life. All physical activities depend on proper regeneration, which mainly takes place only during night sleep.

We must remember three things we must not do:

These are the three main mistakes we make (which the modern rhythm of life imposes on us). Therefore, we should try with all our might to avoid them and arrange our life regime in such a way that we go to bed on time.

According to science and Western medicine, during nighttime sleep, ie from 10pm to 3am, the body cleanses and regenerates. During this time, the pineal gland releases the hormone melatonin – a bioregulator of sleep and wakefulness, which is also essential for many vital human processes. Deep sleep cleans the brain. The liver does its job of cleaning the blood. During this time one should remain in a horizontal position, with eyes closed and with an empty stomach, ie sleep. So if there are problems with sleep (and falling asleep), they should not be ignored. Measures should be taken to normalize sleep.

Napping during the day is not beneficial for most adults. Of course, it may be contraindicated for some people. Nothing is ultimately good or bad here. For example, the time of year must be taken into account, since sleeping patterns can vary depending on the time of year. In the heat of summer, for example, a daytime sleep is not harmful for some constitutional types. People with heavy physical work who talk or walk a lot can also benefit from a nap. However, it is important not to go to bed immediately after a meal. In winter, in colder regions, it is better to extend the nightly sleep duration.

Eastern medicine suggests that dryness accumulates in the body during nighttime sleep, and moisture during daytime sleep. Being awake at night means increasing dryness; sleeping during the day means accumulating moisture. (The contradiction between one and the other) It is therefore necessary to observe your condition, the deterioration of certain characteristics of your well-being. For example, if you wake up in a bad mood, irritable, tired and bloated after an afternoon nap, sleep at that time is clearly not good for you. If you experience sensory overload during the day that prevents you from falling asleep at 10-11pm, if your tissues are dry, if you are restless, if you are tired from lack of sleep, then you need to sleep more during the day. If these are isolated cases (inability to get to bed on time or some other reason for lack of nighttime sleep), daytime sleep serves as a kind of balance. Nothing wrong with that. However, with regular sleep deprivation, this is already a problem.

The second pillar is activity

One type of activity is breathing. This vital process in our body is regulated autonomously, which means we cannot not breathe. But, if we are aware of the importance of this process for every cell in our body, for the functioning of our brain and for our life in general, we can do breathing exercises and simply physical activities in which gas exchange increases at different levels. And the more active the systems involved in this process are, the less we accumulate toxins that kill our tissues. Excessive activity, whether physical or sexual, is debilitating.

The basis of health is nutrition, which provides the body with heat, energy and material for building tissues. The body is actually built from what we eat. It is important that the food not only fills you up, but also provides life energy.

Eastern teachings assume that what matters is not so much what enters the body as what happens to the food inside - its transformation into a nutrient essence that can penetrate the tissues and nourish the cells. The focus should not only be on choosing the right, good foods, but also on how they are converted and assimilated in our bodies. It is important that the food eaten is fully digested because if it is nutritious but not fully digested, the body cannot benefit from it. Food should be balanced, as natural as possible, prepared in different ways and contain all six flavors so that the body's internal processes are not thrown off balance. It is important for health that after food has been digested it can be removed naturally and easily from the body.

There are some rules for a healthy diet:

1. The food should be warm - this promotes good digestion.

2. The fatness of food fuels the digestive fire and nourishes the body.

3. The food should be eaten in the right combination and in the right amount only after the digestion of what has been eaten.

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