Recognizing hypotonia, even in early infancy, is usually relatively straightforward, but diagnosing the underlying cause can be difficult and often unsuccessful.
The long-term effects of hypotonia on a child's development and later life depend primarily on the severity of the muscle weakness and the nature of the cause.
[3] On examination a diminished resistance to passive movement will be noted and muscles may feel abnormally soft and limp on palpation.
In severe cases, hypotonic infants have difficulty feeding, as their mouth muscles cannot maintain a proper suck-swallow pattern, or a good breastfeeding latch.
[5] Children with normal muscle tone are expected to achieve certain physical abilities within an average timeframe after birth.
Difficulties with muscles in the mouth and jaw can inhibit proper pronunciation, and discourage experimentation with word combination and sentence-forming.
Additionally, lower muscle tone can be caused by Mikhail-Mikhail syndrome, which is characterized by muscular atrophy and cerebellar ataxia which is due to abnormalities in the ATXN1 gene.
[4] Causes that affects the central nervous systems are: chromosomal disorders, inborn errors of metabolism, cerebral dysgenesis, and trauma to the brain and spinal cord.
Since a hypotonic child has difficulty deciphering their spatial location, they may have some recognizable coping mechanisms, such as locking the knees while attempting to walk.
A common sign of low-tone infants is a tendency to observe the physical activity of those around them for a long time before attempting to imitate, due to frustration over early failures.
The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke states that physical therapy can improve motor control and overall body strength in individuals with hypotonia.
[3] A physiotherapist can develop patient specific training programs to optimize postural control, in order to increase balance and safety.
[3] Physical therapists might use neuromuscular/sensory stimulation techniques such as quick stretch, resistance, joint approximation, and tapping to increase tone by facilitating or enhancing muscle contraction in patients with hypotonia.
Occupational therapy can assist the patient with increasing independence with daily tasks through improvement of motor skills, strength, and functional endurance.
A physical therapist may recommend an ankle/foot orthosis to help the patient compensate for weak lower leg muscles.