PLEASE HELP - Thinking of seeing a private physio to see if 10 month old DD has a degree of hypermobility - good idea or not?

[CurryMaid]

I've posted before about my DD and the fact that I think she may possibly have some degree of hypermobility.

Brief background - she is 10.5 months and although she can bear weight on her legs she can't for long and doesn't seem to like to do this at all.

She can't crawl, won't lie on her front or move at all including bum shuffling. I know babies all develop at different rates but I see her being bendy in ways that her similar aged contemporaries really aren't! When she sits she her legs can basically be at 180 degree angles from each other; she can also twirl her wrists and angles through 360 degrees.

I haven't approached my Dr's surgery about this but don't hold out much hope that they would be interested in referring her for a physio assessment - the HV is not concerned as she can weight bear to some extent.

I'm thinking of paying for one session of private physio for them to assess her - DH saw a physio at £35 a session and I can find £35 to pay for an assessment. I'm hoping it will give me an answer one way or another as to whether DD could do with some extra help or not.

Is this a good idea or not?

Thanks!

Go for it, if you have the money you've got nothing to loose, even if all you get is peace of mind that everything is normal.

my DD has hypermobile joints and flat feet - we went to our own GP after was out of nappies at 21mo. she had tried to walk at 9mo but failed as she had no real ability to weight bear although her co-ordination was good- eventually she walked at nearly 14mo, knew she had hypermobility because she could do the splits - but I knew that nobody would take her weird walk & constant falling seriously until nappies were out of the equation (our HV equally unhelpful) So the minute the nappies were gone for certain, we weht to the gp, got physio appointment within 10 days, got assessed and then sent on to the podiatry / orthotics lot and she has been using piedro boots ever since. I am a dance teacher and I make sure that she does a lot of strengthening excersises (she thinks they are games anyway) to support her excessive joint flexibility. The boots stop her falling and now she can run

Oh thank you both.

gigglewith - sorry to be silly, but when you say she can do the splits do you mean one leg in front of her and one leg straight behind, or do you mean one leg straight out to the left and the other straight out to the right?

With my DD it's the second but I've always thought of the splits as one leg in front and one behind, for some reason!

I thought i would help by giving my 22mth old dd's history for you. She has hypermobility in her hips.
She did not sit unaided until 10 mths. Then did absolutely nothing else until 16ish months when she finally bum shuffled. She took no weight on her legs whatsoever until 17 mths. If i tried to stand her she just pulled up her legs.
She is now 22 mths and is extremely efficient at bum shuffling, speed is amazing . She can now get herself into a crawling position and can pull herself up to her knees. She can still not pull to standing but will stand for longer periods whilst we hold her under her arms.
She is definately now making a little effort to stand but has little success. She can also fold herself in half like a piece of paper and get her straight legs behind her ears when sitting.
My paediatrician diagnosed hypermobility syndrome approx 3 weeks ago. She has had her first physio apt and we have started swimming 4 times a week. I have to say this has made a huge difference.
It can't hurt to see someone i suppose but the physio told me the best thing to do is swim swim swim and more swimming!
I have been assured her low muscle tone will improve and she will walk ( at some point) .
Hope i've not bored you but sometimes it helps to hear from someone who is experiencing similar.

Hiya - I would go gp route and if they won't refer then take her yourself.

My ds had a v twisted foot at birth which has been seen by an osteopath and phisio and hv and the gp. The hv thought he was fine I didn't and nor did the osteopath or the phisio ( freeby as is a relative ) gp referred him and because of the phisio he received between then and appointment date he has been assesed as fine. However they gave him a full nuro check so would deffo reccomend getting a referral so that she can be checked fully.

Don't forget only the gp can refer her if its necessary.

Ds's hypermobility was diagnosed by his paediatrician when he was 6 months but we didn't start physio until he was walking (22 months but still in nappies).

NHS has been excellent .We have private health cover but since the NHS saved ds's life I've been a staunch supporter and we have never had to wait for appointments. Ds is now 5 and got signed off from physio when he was 4. Still has orthotics and will do for a number of years yet. We did lots of strengthening exercises but now just make sure that ds takes lot of exercise.

We were told that he will never be able to do contact sports but his paediatrician said recently that if he carries on developing the way he has then he may be able to. He has hypermobility in all his joints to differing degrees. He can run now without falling over and can walk up stairs one at a time.

Barnsley, thank you so much! You certainly haven't bored me.

She is a very good sitterm and has been since before 6 months, but the rest of what you say sounds like her - she does exactly as you describe, folds herself in half flat with her ankles around her ears!

I used to take her to Water Babies. I will start taking her swimming again if you think it will make a difference, thank you so much for this advice, it is great to have something constructive I can do.

sorry didn't add he's also hypermobile and so am i

both .... there are two sorts basically both that you describe.
It is possible to train to do the one where one leg is forward and the other is backwards, but the sideways version needs natural ability When they sort of casually fling their leg up the side of the bath at 12mo so one foot is on the floor and the other pointing at the ceiling, you sort of get the idea that this kid can do stuff that's not really normal

wow - mollieO that's fantastic news it's lovely to hear when someone has a dc in the same sort of boat as your own, but doing so well.

barnsleybelle is spot on - muscle tone is important. Ds is incredibly strong for his size and that has helped his mobility. He didn't sit up unaided until 10 months too.

THank you everbody, this is really great to hear.

Am especially glad to hear about the swimming, as I am a bit of a 'fixer' and I think I need to be doing something rather than sitting around feeling sh*t about the fact that she hasn't moved for 6 months.

Kitkat - if I see a physio and they say they think there is something up then I will def go straight to the GP. I am scared to go to them at the mo as seem to have got very short shrift eye-rolling 'typical mother of pfb' type responses the two times I have taken her so far in her life (for other things).

currymaid... definately do the swimming. I did used to take dd occasionally but when my paediatrician suggested swimming i was like a woman possessed!!! I take her at least 4 times a week, (ds is pleased too, as he gets to tag along at weekends) and in just 3 weeks i really have seen a difference. i do accept that as a sahm i have the time to do this, but as much as you can should make a difference. I wish i'd started this at 10 months as she may have been walking by now so i would go for it.
My mum says that when dd is sat playing her legs are at a quarter to 3, and they blooming well are!!!

Surely you would need a paediatric physio rather than a generic physio. Assessing children's physical development is quite an art.

If I was you I would go to your GP and demand a referal to a paediatric physio. You GP cannot legally refuse your request, even if he/she can be very awkward. I think maternal instinct is really powerful and if you are concerned then you need someone more specialised than a health visitor.

Your daughter is still young and you will find that a paediatric physio is far more laid back than a health visitor.

A lot of young children hate physio. I found doing physio with my son an absolute nightmare.I would wait a bit longer before starting physio.

gigglewitch it has been a problem but it is becoming less and less so. Ds has always done swimming which I am sure has made a difference and he is incredibly active. Developmentally I reckon that his gross motor skills were a year behind his peers but definitely less so now .

ps curry... Go at your GP. Don't forget i only got dd seen 3 weeks ago and she's 22 months now.
I kept getting the "she'l go when she's ready" and " don't be so silly" etc etc.
My mothers instinct told me that she needed checking out so i insisted she be referred. I think i scared the gp a bit but he did and thank goodness now.

Barnsley, thank you so much, I will take her tomorrow. That sounds exactly like my DD's legs.

People have been saying for a while now - 'wow, look at her legs', 'my DS could never do that', 'I can't believe how flexible she is' etc etc and I didn't really think it was anything out of the ordinary until someone on here mentioned that she might be hypermobile to some degree.

It is nice to speak to people who have had similar experiences. My NCt group are a lovely lot but I have found the last few months hard watching them go from commando crawling to crawling to pulling up to cruising to walking while DD is still just sitting.

X posts reallytired {smile}

swimming is the best exercise there is

look out for a mum-and-tot session at your local pool as they tend to be quieter, then add to this a couple more visits each week? Also worth looking into what is going on in your area, perhaps sure start and the like? I used to teach at a hydrotherapy style session for children with special needs, in a local special school's own pool, like a club thing that runs in the evening. lots of children came, not just from the school, and all the coaches did it for free. I think we were a bit unique, but if you are near a big town then it is well worth a go?

Reallytired yes, I have been recommended a peadiatric physio in the area, wasn't planning to send her to DH's physio although totally see from reading back the OP that that's what it reads like, sorry.

Shall I try to see the GP tomorrow then? I am so sure they will send me away and I will feel demoralised and stupid and won't pursue it.

curry... My brother has a 10 month old who has just took his first steps!!! It's been sole destroying watching him overtake her!!! But eh, she's happy, able and jabbering away like crazy.

I too have the "wow" comments about her legs and despite already having ds i thought it was just normal, i couldn't remember that far back as to how ds had been.

My DD (16mths) also does the splits thing from side to side and even tries to do it in the buggy so makes getting through doorways more difficult as her toes are in the way iyswim.

She also didn't sit up till 10mths.

She is still not walking but the last few days has managed to stand unaided and she does cruise along furniture.

I would definately go to the gp and insist. Refuse to leave etc etc. I wish now that i had months ago. It's your right.

Ok.

I think you're right.

I should go to the GP.

How will I phrase it though? Should I try to speak to someone in particular? I think their website lists Dr's with particular specialims, just going to check if anyone is keen on child development...

Ok, doesn't say if any of them are child development specialists.

I have a plan.

I'm going to phone them tomorrow.

I'm going to list:

• the fact that she doesn't move at all;

• the fact that her legs stick out at funny angles;

erm

• the fact that she can fold herself flat.

And then.....ask to be referred to a physio? In a forthright but pleasant manner?