Infant Arm Bent Toward Body- Birth Disorder Symptom
You may be wondering, “What does it mean when your infant has their arm bent toward their body?” In some cases, it may not be anything serious; your baby may just feel more comfortable in this position. It is important to keep a close eye on this behavior because if your child displays this over a long period of time, it could be a sign that he or she is suffering from a medical condition. Essentially, when an infant bends their arm towards their body, they could be doing this for other reasons.
There are a couple of different conditions that could be present when a baby bends his or her arm strangely. Some of the most common conditions that you should be aware of include:
- Klumpke’s Palsy
- Erb’s Palsy
- Shoulder Dystocia
- Brain Hemorrhage
Klumpke’s Palsy
An even more serious condition than Erb’s Palsy, Klumpke’s Palsy happens when a child has limited movement of the arm. As a result, the infant bends their arm towards the body to feel more comfortable. Another one of the symptoms that your child may have as a result of this condition is that the arm turned towards the body has a clawlike position.
Erb’s Palsy
This condition is also called brachial plexus palsy because of how it affects the brachial nerves near the neck, collarbone, and shoulder. When the brachial nerves get damaged, inflamed, or moved; then the arm will move in an abnormal way. This results in the baby bending their arm towards the body. Other symptoms that could characterize this include intense pain or sensitivity in the arm. In other cases, these symptoms could indicate that your child has paralysis.
Cerebral Palsy
When your child has cerebral palsy, their arms may bend toward the body. Many people have misunderstood this neurological disorder as a muscle disorder because of how neurological dysfunction will often manifest itself as problems in the muscles. This can result in a baby bending their arm strangely. In some cases, a child may not angle their arm towards the body, but instead, maintain it in an unnatural position. If you suspect anything, you should get your child in to see a doctor as soon as possible to figure out what is causing this behavior. It could be the result of a birth disorder.
If an infant bends their arm towards the body, it may not always be something serious, but there are cases where it could be indicative of a debilitating condition that needs treatment. That’s why you need to have your doctor look at it. Getting the behavior diagnosed and treated as soon as possible keeps your child safe, and in some cases, you can put a stop to the problem before it has the chance to get worse. In cases of CP, it could affect one limb or all four limbs, depending on the severity.