Pyramidal insufficiency syndrome in children. Tests to identify pyramidal insufficiency Pyramidal insufficiency treatment

Pyramidal syndrome or pyramidal insufficiency syndrome is also called ballerina tiptoe syndrome or equinus foot placement.

This violation may be the result of a whole range of factors. In the vast majority of cases, it is accompanied by muscular dystrophy of varying degrees, associated with hypertonicity of the lower leg and foot.

Bilateral damage to the pyramidal tracts is usually diagnosed in newborns or children in the first year of life; less often it occurs in children two to three years old.

Anatomical certificate

The medulla oblongata, which connects the brain to the spinal cord, is responsible for complex reflexes. This organ consists of cells of a special pyramidal shape, which are called pyramids. That is why the syndrome is called pyramidal. Impaired coordination of movements is a consequence of damage to the above-mentioned cells.

It is curious that there is no official symptom of “pyramidal insufficiency”. However, it is given to young children - and not always justified.

The main reason for the development of such a pathology in an infant is mechanical or ischemic intrauterine injury to the cervical spinal cord. When blood flow in the cervical thickening and brain stem is disrupted, the muscle tone of the limb flexors undergoes a significant deviation from the norm.

The severity of the syndrome is directly dependent on the severity of brain damage. A mild form of insufficiency manifests itself in stiffness of the arms, and more common ischemia adds to the symptoms of impaired motor activity of the lower extremities: when trying to put the baby on his feet, he stubbornly rests only on his toes, that is, the distal part of the foot works.

Pyramidal insufficiency syndrome in children

In babies in the first months of life, pyramidal syndrome usually manifests itself (they become very tense), the inability to hold their head, curling of their fingers when testing the step reflex (walking on their toes), and other similar signs.

Older children suffering from pyramidal syndrome may stand and/or tiptoe all the time, get tired quickly and constantly ask to be held. Some young patients do not want to walk at all and complain of pain in their legs. It is difficult for parents to separate complaints of this kind from simple whims, because two to three year olds cannot explain them clearly.

In the question of whether it is necessary to treat this disorder, the main thing is the severity of the problem. If the baby is slightly affected, you should simply see a local neurologist. It is also necessary to independently help the child with massage, baths and a specially designed set of physical exercises.

With more extensive damage or untimely or improper treatment, the child may begin to lag behind the norms of motor development. In this case, signs of neurological deficit that were not seen at the initial examination may appear. Such children should begin treatment immediately.

It is important for parents of infants with pyramidal insufficiency to understand that “simple” tiptoeing in the absence of timely qualified assistance can develop into persistent impairment of motor functions, sometimes leading to complete failure.

About causes and symptoms

Pyramidal insufficiency in the legs in children can develop against the background of the following pathologies:

Externally expressed symptoms:

• trembling of the chin, as well as legs and arms;
• difficulty holding onto things;
• throwing back the head;
• poor finger control;
• walking on tiptoes;
• speech disorder;
• reduced intelligence.

Pyramidal insufficiency syndrome in children cannot be diagnosed with 100% accuracy solely based on a medical examination. To obtain comprehensive data, you must pass all tests prescribed by your doctor. Only on the basis of their results is it possible to make a correct diagnosis.

"Adult" reasons

Pyramidal insufficiency is not a disease, but a syndrome. However, this does not prevent many doctors from classifying pathology as a disease and making an unambiguous diagnosis. Doctors often refer to it as or.

If pyramidal insufficiency syndrome in very young children can be a consequence of birth injuries or intrauterine development anomalies, then in adulthood the syndrome is most often observed in people suffering from cancer or vascular or heart diseases.

Pyramidal insufficiency in adults develops due to the following reasons:

• inflammatory processes in brain tissue (or similar diseases);
• pathological changes in cerebral circulation (for example, due to suffering);
• mechanical damage to the skull, resulting in disturbances in the transmission of nerve impulses;

Pyramidal syndrome in adult patients is an acquired pathology, the treatment of which involves eliminating not only the symptoms, but also the root cause of the disorder.

Clinical picture and diagnostic methods

To identify pyramidal syndrome in adults, a simple examination by a neurologist is not enough. The patient must undergo a series of modern diagnostic procedures. To obtain comprehensive information about the patient’s health status, the neurologist will need the results of the following examinations:

• (prescribed if there is or suspicion of);
• which helps to trace hidden seizures (in most cases they occur during sleep and therefore cannot be detected during an examination by a neurologist);
• electromyography, which allows you to determine the electrical potential of muscles;
• (if tumor formations are suspected).

Pyramidal insufficiency in adulthood also manifests itself in more noticeable symptoms that can be detected during a medical examination:

• hypertension;
• increased arms and legs;
• full or partial of different parts of the body;
• violations of reflex activity, in particular, a decrease in its speed;
• in some cases, especially if the damage has occurred to the hypothalamic-pituitary system, sexual dysfunction and increased body weight may be observed.

How to treat and is it necessary?

If pyramidal insufficiency is not accompanied by another, more serious diagnosis (from the lists above), physiotherapy procedures are sufficient to eliminate it. Massage is widely used to treat children. Professional massage therapist helps strengthen muscles and relieve hypertension. Parents perform a set of special preventive exercises with their child at home.

Swimming, gymnastics, exercises for coordination of movements, and balneotherapy (healing baths) also help to improve motor activity and strengthen the body. This recommendation is relevant for both children and adults.

In addition, the doctor may prescribe vitamins that activate microcirculation, vasoactive substances or drugs to improve the metabolism of nerve cells (Cerebrolysin, Encephabol and others). Prozerin and Dibazol help normalize the conduction of nerve impulses. You can improve muscle tone with the help of vitamins E and B, as well as the drugs Baclofen, Lioresal and.

Neurosurgical therapy is prescribed if spinal or brain injuries or tumors occur. Surgical intervention is used for, as well as for thrombosis of extracerebral arteries.

Persons suffering from this pathology, especially children who are just learning to walk, need to wear special orthopedic shoes. It is distinguished by a closed front and a rigid back.

Also, parents of babies under one year old should remember: the child should not be put on his feet prematurely, and should not be put in a walker - this can interfere with the normal development of the foot. When the time comes, the baby will try to walk on his own - and he will definitely succeed!

For the treatment of pyramidal insufficiency, adults are prescribed significant physical activity: running, swimming, walking, physical therapy and sports. Acupressure and acupressure give excellent results.

If the syndrome occurs against the background of another disease, the main emphasis should be on healing from it. It is also important to restore the patient’s motor activity if there is paralysis. However, we should not forget about the need to relieve the symptoms of the described pathology; This is especially important for young patients.

To avoid such an unpleasant and dangerous pathological condition with its complications as pyramidal insufficiency, it is necessary:

• carefully monitor your health and the health of your children;
• take all necessary measures to prevent injuries that could provoke the development of pathology;
• promptly treat diseases that may cause the syndrome, and also take measures to prevent them.

Hello, Evgeniy Olegovich!

Please comment on the following situation. My mother turned to one forum with the question “What is pyramidal insufficiency? What are its symptoms and how is it treated? Otherwise, when I put my head back, it tilts back (it doesn’t want to hold it in an upright position), we went to a neurologist, and we were prescribed something like this”... More She is asked clarifying questions, to which she answers: “We don’t have intracranial pressure, that’s what she (the doctor) just said (that we don’t have any other signs except the head), and in a month we had an ultrasound of the brain done by a neonatologist. And she said that there could be two reasons - either pressure, which we don’t have, or this very deficiency. But they prescribed us the full program - massage, physiotherapy (what is this?), injections and pills. And I’m scared of this child stuff him, especially since nothing bothers him (it was his head that bothered me)... in general, I don’t know: (((" and further "yes, we don’t have any indications other than throwing back the head. no tremor, no excitability, no tone. the child is calm and cheerful... it took me to the doctor: (They prescribed us something illegible in the prescription for physiotherapy, similar to aminophylline (?) and magnesia (?) - I’m not good at Latin and doctors’ handwriting. And injections - vitamin B12 and actavegin every other day, plus diacarb and asparkam tablets. Isn’t that too much?” I’ll add on my own behalf that the child is 3 months and a week old. Please write in your opinion whether such treatment is justified (of course, I understand that diagnoses are not made on the Internet, but still)

Sorry to bother you, best regards Asya

Hello Asya!

I am writing in detail, because your letter is the last straw that has filled my patience with pyramidal insufficiency...

To begin with, the answer to the main question - what is pyramidal insufficiency? The most difficult thing here is to explain the meaning of the adjective “pyramidal”. To do this, you need to travel into the terrible jungle of anatomy and physiology of the nervous system. I’ll note right away that this section is, in principle, one of the most difficult in both anatomy and physiology, and most medical students. Institutes have a nervous breakdown at the mere thought that this topic will appear on the exam paper. However, I will try to explain it very briefly.

There is a certain area in the cerebral cortex responsible for voluntary muscle contractions. Those. if we want to move a finger or throw back our head, then the signal from the cells in the mentioned area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe cortex descends along the corresponding processes and reaches a certain segment of the spinal cord. This section of the nervous system, from cells in the cortex to a specific segment of the spinal cord, is called the pyramidal tract.

The pyramids are anatomical sections of the medulla oblongata, the nerve impulse passes through them, hence the name. Medical manuals describe the pyramidal tract as “an efferent projection neural pathway originating in the precentral gyrus cortex and extending to the cranial nerve nuclei and motor neurons of the spinal cord.” I give this quote only as an illustration, so that my statements about the complexity of the issue do not seem unfounded.

Inflammatory processes, tumors, hemorrhages, some infections and congenital diseases can lead to cell damage on some part of the pyramidal tract and this will manifest itself in very specific symptoms - movement disorders, and taking into account the fact that it has stopped moving, a competent neurologist can accurately determine the specific the area where the lesion is located. Recently, due to the advent of computed tomography, fewer and fewer neurologists have the necessary knowledge, because the device accurately indicates the lesion and there is no need to walk around the patient for hours with a hammer in his hands, in order to assume that there is something happened. Assuming that after my descriptions

You understand the meaning of the word “pyramidal”, then answering the question of what pyramidal insufficiency is is still not easy. There is no such diagnosis in the international classification of diseases. In the textbook for medical students. Institutes of "Children's Neurology" - there is no such diagnosis. There is no such diagnosis in the detailed monograph (530 pages) entitled “Guide to the Neurology of Early Childhood.” But hundreds of neurologists make this “diagnosis” for thousands of children. Most likely, the reasoning algorithm looks like this: the child has some disorders in the motor sphere, or the disorders are not detected, but the mother complains. The fact that the head is thrown back, the chin is trembling, the fact that it often looks to the left rather than forward, the fact that it jerks its legs, waves its arms, etc. The doctor cannot detect any serious illnesses - there are no specific symptoms - as in your letter - “the child is calm and cheerful.” But how can you tell your mom that everything is okay if she complains!!! It is necessary to make at least some kind of diagnosis, because if, in response to complaints, one says that there is no need to fool oneself and the doctor, then this will definitely be regarded as a sign of inattention, negligence, and unprofessionalism. And, most importantly, if no diagnosis is made in response to complaints, then tomorrow the mother and child will be in the office of another neurologist, who will treat her “carefully and professionally,” make a diagnosis and prescribe treatment. So a diagnosis appears, which is impossible to translate into Russian, but it is very scientific and beautiful: “pyramidal insufficiency.” Which, in this context, can be translated as “unexplained problems in the motor sphere.”

Pyramidal insufficiency is just one of the diagnoses, but there are others that are no less common. Here we have minimal cerebral dysfunction syndrome, various types of encephalopathies, liquor hypertension syndrome, etc. There are real neurological problems - congenital malformations of the nervous system, birth injuries, brain damage due to oxygen deficiency during childbirth, infectious diseases - meningitis, encephalitis, tumors and abscesses in the brain or spinal cord, disturbances in the production and outflow of cerebrospinal fluid, leading to serious illness hydrocephalus. All these diseases have very specific symptoms and very specific treatment methods. At the same time, the nervous system of a child in the first year of life is functionally immature; during its formation, symptoms may occasionally appear that are one of the signs of a serious illness, but there are no other symptoms, and the existing dangerous symptom disappears after a while. Head tilt is one of the signs of meningitis, but no one diagnoses meningitis based on this symptom alone. Nevertheless, tens of thousands of children in the first year of life are treated under the supervision of neurologists, in the absence of specific diagnoses. This happens due to our exclusively domestic mentality and our specific characteristics in the relationship between doctors and parents.

To begin with, I will note that I personally have always been amazed by the amazing feature of our mothers. An American gives birth to a child with Down's disease and spends her whole life trying to prove that her Down is the smartest. Ours deliberately look for illnesses and shortcomings in their own children, and moreover, they are indignant if the doctor does not agree with them. And in no other country in the world are there so many meaningless diagnoses that pursue one single goal: to satisfy parents in their desire to treat their own child. Neurological problems in this aspect are only a special case, from the same series as dysbiosis, unknown to anyone in the world, rare lactase deficiency, diathesis, etc. Can you imagine that in a country with paid healthcare, a mother would go not to her family doctor, but to a very rare and very, very expensive specialist - a pediatric neurologist, provided that the child is cheerful, calm and cheerful, but sometimes throws his head back ? Rhetorical question...

The most dangerous thing, from my point of view, is that the matter is not limited to one diagnosis. The doctor simply cannot afford not to respond to his own diagnosis by prescribing medications. And if he doesn’t appoint, then everything will go according to the scheme described above - Maria Petrovna won’t appoint today, tomorrow respected Ivan Ivanovich will come to your house and will definitely appoint. There is such a wonderful Ukrainian joke. Two godfathers with heavy bags rush along the station platform - they are late for the train. And so, when the goal is already close, the doors close right in front of their noses and the train moves off. One of the godfathers puts the bags on the ground and hits the second one in the face as hard as he can. He shouts: “For what!!?” The first one answers: “So we need work” (For what? So we have to do something). Logically, you should calmly wait for the next train. But this is not for us. It’s the same in a neurologist’s office - most medications are prescribed precisely because “work is required”... But waiting, observing without fussing is not for us.

The great and wise Avicenna wrote a thousand years ago: " if the disease is difficult to determine, then do not interfere and take your time. Truly, either the being (of man) will prevail over the disease, or the disease will be determined!"

This, although difficult, could be tolerated if the prescribed medications were absolutely safe. But drugs with serious side effects are often used. In addition, there is simply a pathological desire to treat children with injections.

In principle, I cannot imagine a situation in which injections of vitamin B12, or ATP, or B6, or, even worse, magnesium, can cure a child of any neurological disease. But the list is not limited to this. Quite often there are diuretics (diacarb, triampur), experiments with dietary supplements, powerful stimulants of metabolic processes. I want to emphasize again. There is a specific problem. For example, neuritis of the facial nerve, or obstetric paresis of the arm, or traumatic brain injury. There is a specific treatment regimen - medications, massage, and physiotherapy (electrophoresis, for example). Those. We are not talking at all about rejecting the achievements of medicine in general and pharmacology in particular, and not paying attention to the disease. But in a situation where the symptoms are insignificant, episodic or vague, it is better not to do anything, because the intensity of metabolic processes in a child, especially in the first year of life, is so high that it can be improved with drugs to a very small extent.

And, if it were up to me, I would write the above quote from Avicenna in capital letters and hang it at the entrance to every clinic. It is impossible not to mention this unfortunately present phenomenon, when both diagnoses and prescriptions relate exclusively to the field of commerce. When a doctor sells dietary supplements or receives a percentage from pharmacists for prescribed drugs, when a paid massage is prescribed, which certainly won’t make things worse, when the doctor is aware that he is “healthy” for the diagnosis - they won’t say thank you, but the responsibility is for the rest life, and for the illness, treatment and obvious improvement (which only the doctor can see) they will thank you and provide financial assistance...

In general, all issues related to the field of child neurology are very complex and it is not at all easy for uninitiated people to understand. Well, you must admit that most parents are capable of curing sniffles in a child, but what to do if the baby begins to throw back his head or walks on his toes? After all, you most likely will not be able to figure this out and find the reason on your own. But an experienced neuropathologist, unfortunately, is a rarity, and sometimes it is almost impossible to find one. Often, an appeal to a neurologist ends with a referral for a massage and an endlessly long list of medications, most of which are scary to take even on your own, and not what to give to a child. In addition, many diagnoses, such as pyramidal insufficiency, although they sound very smart, cause quite a bit of suspicion.

It makes no sense to argue with a neurologist, even if he is wrong, especially since he still will not admit that he was wrong, and will simply drown you in a huge amount of specific terminology. This is a completely standard, defensive reaction of any doctor to whom an ordinary “mortal” points out his mistakes.

Pyramidal insufficiency is a diagnosis that does not exist.

It’s up to you to follow your doctor’s instructions or not, but in order for you to make a really right decision, let’s try to figure out what kind of disease this is - pyramidal insufficiency, or as it is also called - pyramidal insufficiency.

First, let's figure out where this name came from - pyramidal. The medulla oblongata is responsible for performing complex reflexes. It is part of the brain and connects it with the spinal cord. It consists of many anatomical cells - pyramids, hence the name - pyramidal. As a result of damage to part of these pyramidal cells, some kind of movement disorder may occur. If we talk about what pyramidal insufficiency is, then everything is much more complicated here, since this diagnosis is not mentioned either in the international classification of diseases, or in textbooks and reference books on child neurology. It simply doesn't exist. However, this does not stop most neurologists from giving it to thousands of children.

Treatment of pyramidal insufficiency.

It should be noted that pyramidal insufficiency is far from the only non-existent diagnosis. It means that the child has some problems in the motor sphere, but it is possible to understand the cause of their occurrence, that is, make a diagnosis, and therefore prescribe the correct treatment, only if there are a number of other accompanying symptoms. But in most cases, the diagnosis of pyramidal insufficiency is made when there are no other symptoms, or they have not yet manifested themselves, which means there is no point in prescribing treatment. However, treatment is prescribed, and it’s good if it’s just a massage, which most likely will not harm your baby in any way. But if you have already visited a neurologist, then you probably know that most of the medications they prescribe are far from harmless; this is not ascorbic acid or even an aspirin tablet.

Therefore, if your neurologist tells you, “Mom, go home, your child is completely healthy.” Do just that, maybe you were just lucky and found a good doctor.

I think there is no point in treating a non-existent disease. But do not forget that the diagnosis of pyramidal insufficiency, although it is a so-called “excuse”, does not mean that there is no problem at all, therefore, watch the child at home for some time, perhaps some additional symptoms will appear, the presence of which will help the doctor make the correct diagnosis and prescribe treatment that will be effective and really help eliminate the problem.

In addition, most of the symptoms that are most often used to diagnose pyramidal insufficiency, such as.

Doctors do not designate pyramidal insufficiency syndrome in children as an independent diagnosis. This is a set of symptoms indicating disturbances in the functioning of the child’s nervous system. The disease often manifests itself in children under one year of age. It is difficult to identify the syndrome in children: its symptoms are similar to those of other diseases, such as meningitis, encephalopathy, and mental disability.

Signs

Pyramidal insufficiency is a lesion of the cells of the medulla oblongata, which has pyramidal cells and is responsible for gross motor skills of the limbs. This can happen under the influence of various factors, infectious diseases.

The signs of pyramidal insufficiency in children are quite definite:

• tremor of the limbs, chin;
• awkward use of fingers;
• throwing back the head;
• walking on tiptoe.

When the child is 2-3 months old, pyramidal insufficiency, manifested in the form of hypertonicity, does not cause complications. Problems begin when the child gets on his feet at the age of one year. The vertical position causes him discomfort; he stands on his toes and moves around like that.

To diagnose pyramidal insufficiency in children, you can perform an independent test:

• Place your baby on his stomach.
• Bend his knees.
• Feel the muscles in your calves. With pyramidal insufficiency in children, they will be very tense, while the thigh muscles are in optimal condition or relaxed.

When toned, the hips become too flexed or difficult to straighten.

Complications

Treatment of pyramidal insufficiency in children should be carried out. But you should be careful when taking medications. Sometimes a massage is enough for the tone to return to normal.

It is impossible to assume that the baby will “outgrow” the disease or that it will go away on its own. Lack of therapy for 2-3 years will provoke an incorrect distribution of the load on the muscles and a shift in the center of gravity.

These complications are the reason for the appearance of:

• diseases of the legs, joints;
• back problems;
• osteochondrosis, curvature of the spine;
• displacement of vertebral discs;
• headache;
• pain in the neck area.

Is there hope for parents whose children are affected by pyramidal insufficiency? This is not a death sentence, and this condition can be easily treated in childhood. Doctors may diagnose pyramidal insufficiency, while the term refers to a syndrome, or group of symptoms. For treatment, one should look for the true cause and carry out complex therapy.

Causes and treatment

The causes of pyramidal insufficiency lie in various areas:

• infectious disease of the mother during pregnancy;
• fetal hypoxia;
• severe intrauterine illnesses of the baby;
• genetic abnormalities;
• tumors;
• incorrect lifestyle and bad habits of the pregnant mother, which affected the condition of the fetus.

It is not always possible to eliminate the cause.

As diagnostic measures, doctors prescribe:

• Brain MRI;
• X-ray and others.

Based on the information collected, a diagnosis is made and treatment is prescribed. Doctors limit themselves to prescribing massages, vitamin complexes, and sedative medications. Vitamin therapy consists of taking vitamins B and C. They have a beneficial effect on the nervous system and support the immune system.

It should be understood that complex treatment does not give 100% results. It all depends on the degree of development of the disease. In the early stages, you can get by with a massage, although its negative side is that the muscles are not fixed.

An endemic massage, which is designed to relieve swelling in the leg muscles, can improve the child’s condition. Cells quickly get rid of harmful substances, are filled with nutrients, and their work is normalized.

Massage sessions have a beneficial effect on children with pyramidal insufficiency. Kids are active, cheerful and even ahead of their peers in development. Massage is an excellent prevention of spinal curvature.

In case of pyramidal insufficiency, paraffin therapy provides an effect. The procedure consists of paraffin applications on the legs to warm the extremities. Paraffin is heated to a liquid state and applied to the baby’s feet. It is safe and does not cause burns. Paraffin therapy stimulates blood flow to the extremities. Often paraffin treatment precedes a massage, which makes the treatment more effective.

There are many treatment options. To choose the right one for your child, you should go to the clinic and consult with a specialist. He will tell you how to treat pyramidal insufficiency.

Ballerina's symptom, walking on tiptoes or on tiptoes, equinus planting of the feet - all these are names of one pathology - pyramidal insufficiency syndrome. The disorder can be caused by a large number of reasons, but is always accompanied by moderate/severe muscle dystonia with hypertonicity of the foot and leg. Pyramidal insufficiency with bilateral dystonia is usually observed in newborns and children in the first year of life, and is less commonly diagnosed in children 2-3 years of age.

Why does pyramidal insufficiency occur?

The medulla oblongata is responsible for complex reflexes. It is part of the brain and connects the latter to the spinal cord. The organ consists of anatomical cells - pyramids. Hence the name - pyramidal.

When these cells are damaged, movement disorders occur. It is worth noting that in medicine there is no diagnosis “ pyramidal, or pyramidal, insufficiency" However, it is given to many children and is not always justified.

The cause of the development of pathology in a child is perinatal mechanical or ischemic injury to the cervical spinal cord. When the blood circulation of the cervical thickening and the brain stem is disrupted, a gross deviation of the muscle tone of the flexors in the limbs is formed.

The severity depends on the severity of the lesion. The arms become stiff, and with more widespread ischemia, a disturbance is observed in the legs - when the baby is placed on his legs, he firmly rests on his toes (distal parts of the foot).

Symptoms and signs

Key symptoms of pyramidal insufficiency:

• Trembling chin;
• Hand tremors;
• Throwing the head back;
• Poor grasp reflex;
• Difficulty holding objects;
• Curling your toes in a standing position;
• Walking on your toes.

In children under 2-3 months of age, this condition does not cause concern, since they have natural muscle hypertonicity. When the vertical position of the body becomes physiological due to age, and the baby does not walk normally, it is necessary to determine muscular dystonia - the main symptom of pyramidal insufficiency or spastic paresis of the lower extremities.

The diagnosis is confirmed by the presence of high tendon reflexes, the Babinski reflex persisting for 2-3 months, revitalization of the tendon reflexes of the hands, delayed reduction of others (automatic gait, automatic crawling, Moro, etc.).

Pyramidal insufficiency syndrome can be detected in a baby using a kind of test: the baby is placed on his stomach, the shin is bent halfway at the knee, the calf muscles are deeply palpated, and the tone of the buttocks is examined. In a normal state, muscle tension is the same.

If there is a violation, the calf muscles are tense, the buttocks are in a state of hypotension or normal tone. The pathology often affects the rectus femoris muscles: the legs are excessively bent at the hip joints, when you bring them to the tummy, they are difficult to straighten in a child lying on his back.

Features of deviation

Pyramidal insufficiency diagnosed in children is dangerous because it entails functional disorders called movement disorder syndrome (MDS). In such children, adjustment reflexes and motor skills are formed late, that is, their development will be delayed (the child will sit up late, crawl, walk, etc.).

Essentially, such a diagnosis means a motor disorder, but treatment can only be prescribed on the basis of other symptoms and after determining the cause of the disorder.

Almost always the diagnosis pyramidal insufficiency" is placed in the case when other signs of pathology have not appeared or are absent at all. That is, it is pointless to prescribe any treatment.

Tumors, inflammatory processes, some congenital pathologies and infections, hemorrhages are the main causes of insufficiency, or rather, it is their symptom and secondary disorder. Considering which part of the body has stopped moving normally, the neurologist accurately determines the affected area of ​​the pyramidal system.

Computed tomography is used as the main diagnostic method. The procedure allows you to accurately determine the lesion in a matter of minutes.

In any case, before prescribing treatment, the doctor must make an accurate, or, one might say, officially existing diagnosis. For example, movement disorders can be provoked by minimal brain dysfunction, encephalopathies, and liquor hypertension syndrome.

Real neurological pathologies may occur:

• birth injuries;
• congenital diseases of the nervous system;
• brain damage as a result of hypoxia during childbirth (oxygen deficiency);
• infectious diseases;
• tumors;
• abscesses in the spinal cord or brain;
• disturbances in the production and outflow of cerebrospinal fluid;
• encephalitis and meningitis, causing hydrocephalus.

All of the listed pathologies have characteristic symptoms and specific treatment methods, so it is impossible to prescribe any serious medical measures based on just one movement disorder. For example, tilting the head back is one of the signs of meningitis, but no one makes a diagnosis based on the symptom alone.

Treatment of children with pyramidal insufficiency

If none of the listed diagnoses are confirmed, then the disorder can be eliminated without medications. Basically, various physiotherapy procedures are prescribed. Massage is widely used. Both the help of a qualified specialist and the involvement of parents are necessary.

An experienced massage therapist will relieve tone and strengthen muscles. Massage courses usually take place every six months. Parents should do special preventive exercises with their child every day.

Gymnastics, swimming, and exercises for coordination of movements have a beneficial effect on the body as a whole and on physical activity in particular.

This applies to both adults and children. Vitamins and medications that improve energy metabolism may be prescribed. It is worth noting that you need to choose special orthopedic shoes when the baby tries to walk. It should have a hard back and a closed front.

If any disease is discovered that has led to a disorder, treatment is directed both at its elimination and at secondary disorders; it is necessary to relieve the symptoms of pyramidal insufficiency, especially in children.

The following drugs may be prescribed:

• Improving metabolic processes in nerve cells, for example, “Nootropil”, “Encephabol”, “Cerebrolysin”, “Aminalon”, glutamic acid;
• To improve the conduction of nerve impulses, “Dibazol”, “Proserin” are prescribed;
• Vasoactive agents for microcirculation;
• Substances that normalize muscle tone (eg. “Baclofen”, “Mydocalm”, “Lioresal”);
• Vitamin E and group B.