Hypertonia - Visalia,CA

cord blood stem cells have been shown to help with cerebral palsy.

Low dose naltrexone has shown a lot of promise for rigidity as seen is things like parkinsons. I would definitely give that a try if I were you. Do a search on it online, you will see it really helps with muscle problems.

Also, you should consider if the child has low potassium/high cellular sodium- this is a red flag issue when there are heart issues like tachardia.
Tachardia is a symptom of high cellular sodium. Cells should be full of potassium, not sodium. Ask your docotr if you can get a prescription for potassium. make sure you monitor it with blood tests.

Addition:
Diana, I think she IS using the right term, hypertonia:

Hypertonia is a condition marked by an abnormal increase in muscle tension and a reduced ability of a muscle to stretch. It is caused by injury to motor pathways in the central nervous system, which carry information from the central nervous system to the muscles and control posture, muscle tone, and reflexes. When the injury occurs in children under the age of 2, the term cerebral palsy is often used.

Original:
K., I don't know the answer to your question, but you should have your son working with an OT/PT. That's really important. Sometimes it's not possible to know this stuff until a baby has lived for a while and developed enough so that you can see what they can and can't do.

Hope you're getting some help. If there's a children's hospital in your area, get him there.

Best of luck,
Dawn

Work with your pediatrician or get a referral to a specialist if you don't already have one.
Your little one can benefit from physical therapy.
There are many things that can happen at birth that don't always present themselves immediately.
If you have a definitive diagnosis, try seeing the positive in that it gives you a place to start as far as looking for resources and assistance for your precious child. The sooner you can get support and assistance, the better.
I also urge you to see where the nearest Shriner's Hospital is. They are amazing! We know families and children who have benefitted greatly from their care and resources. Families in my area have to travel quite a distance because we are so rural, but Shriner's also helps with accomodations and maybe even transportation costs. You might have one pretty close.

I wish you the best and will keep you and your baby in my thoughts and prayers.
There is always hope!

It's Hypotonia - it means "low muscle tone". None if those things caused it - the cord around his neck could have caused cerebral palsy, which is very different. Hypotonia just happens. It is usually diagnosed when kids have fallen way behind their age-mates in hitting typical milestones (like sitting up, crawling, walking, etc). My kiddo was diagnosed at 17 months. He crawled at a year and began walking at 17 months, but was very weak and unstable on his feet. We started him in physical therapy at that point and it helped strengthen him immensely.

Your son may cry because he's frustrated that he doesn't have the strength to do the things he wants to do. Hypotonia shouldn't cause him any pain.

You didn't do anything to cause the hypotonia - it's not your fault, and it's not his. Ask your ped to recommend a physical therapist and your little guy will start getting stronger. He'll catch up with his peers - it's just going to take some time.

I don't know much about hypertonia but I do know that epsom salt baths can help to soothe sore, stiff muscles. Ask your doctor if this will help your son and if your son is old enough to receive epsom salt baths yet (I don't see why not). It won't be a cure-all but it should give him some relief and possibly you an opportunity to hold him without causing as much discomfort.

A good website to check out for medical info is www.webmd.com. I wish I could be of more help but am glad to see that you are doing your research. Also, definitely take Dawn's advise and see what you can do about getting some physical therapy and/or occupational therapy for your son ASAP. You should be able to get it through your State's early intervention program. Your doctor should be able to give you information on how to contact them or maybe able to contact them on your behalf to make the referral.

Stay strong Mama!

You didn't say if your baby went to the neonatal intensive care unit and if so for how long. It's almost impossible to "know" what caused the hypertonia. Please note I have not seen your son, read his medical records, or was there when he was born. So my comments are very general. It's possible that the cord around the neck and the knots in the cord caused intermittent episodes of not enough oxygen getting to the brain. This could have happened well before labor and neither you or your doctor would have known. The tachycardia with variables and the meconium could have been because of the cord around the neck and the knots in the cord or not. This is all speculation because this is just the information you have given here. It's very possible that your son's tone was normal in the hospital and developed hypertonia later. That reflects the development in the brain. Remember baby's brains are relatively primitive. They eat, sleep, cry, etc. More complex movements happen later when the brain develops more and there are variations in normal development.
Your son needs a developmental team to work with him. He needs OT/PT and doctors who specialize in these things. He also needs a pediatrician to coordinate all the medical issues. I wouldn't use a family practice doctor for him. He needs the specialization of pediatrics. All the best!