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Clinical features

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

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Clinical features include:

  • posture - a frog's-leg position
  • on handling the baby tends to slip through the fingers. During a baby check a normal baby should be able to support itself briefly by gripping its arms on the examiners fingers held under the armpits.
  • an alert baby implies that a central cause is unlikely

In the acute setting, features of sepsis such as irritability and poor handling should be sought.

The most important distinction to make is between a paralytic and non-paralytic cause. A useful discriminating clinical test is to hold the baby in a ventral position; a baby with a paralytic cause of floppiness shows much less movement than a baby with non-paralytic floppiness.

The baby should be carefully examined for any dysmorphology.

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The content herein is provided for informational purposes and does not replace the need to apply professional clinical judgement when diagnosing or treating any medical condition. A licensed medical practitioner should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions.

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