Child Foot Pain – Hypotonia

Hypotonia (low muscle tone) is a reduced tension in the muscle when it is at rest and results in a looseness of the muscle. This doesn’t mean that the muscle is necessarily weak although in some cases it can be.

Hypotonia is caused when there is a disruption to the signal being sent from the brain to the nerves that control the muscle. Usually there is a neuromuscular or genetic condition responsible for this disruption but sometimes a cause may not be identified. Some conditions in children that can cause hypotonia include:

Down Syndrome
Cerebral Palsy
Premature birth
Ehlers-danlos Syndrome
Muscular dystrophy
Meningitis

In infants, hypotonia is sometimes called floppy baby syndrome and they may present with their arms and legs just hanging by their sides and with poor head control. As the child gets older the low tension in the muscles may lead to developmental delay in both fine and gross motor skills. Mobility can be affected as the foot and ankle tend to roll in when the muscles surrounding the joints are too loose. This affects balance in standing and walking and often results in increased falls.

Often children with hypotonia need extra support around the foot and ankle to improve the position of the joints and give a more stable base of support. A supportive insole with a good arch support and a deep heel cup may help. If this is not enough support, then an Orthotist would fit the child with a brace that comes up over the ankle.