What is a classic early finding of muscular dystrophy?

What is a classic early finding of muscular dystrophy?

• A. Head lag when sitting up
• B. Hyperreflexia of the legs
• C. Gait ataxia
• D. Spasticity

Answer: (A)

Proximal muscle weakness is the hallmark of muscular dystrophy, and in infants the first signs come from muscles close to the trunk, including the neck flexors. When you try to sit a child up from lying down, weak neck flexors can’t keep the head up, producing a head lag. This reflects early proximal weakness before more obvious gait problems appear. As the disease progresses, you’d expect features like Gowers’ maneuver and difficulty with stairs or rising from the floor, not signs of upper motor neuron disease. Hyperreflexia, spasticity, and gait ataxia point to other systems (UMN or cerebellar problems) and are not typical early findings of muscular dystrophy.

Proximal muscle weakness is the hallmark of muscular dystrophy, and in infants the first signs come from muscles close to the trunk, including the neck flexors. When you try to sit a child up from lying down, weak neck flexors can’t keep the head up, producing a head lag. This reflects early proximal weakness before more obvious gait problems appear. As the disease progresses, you’d expect features like Gowers’ maneuver and difficulty with stairs or rising from the floor, not signs of upper motor neuron disease. Hyperreflexia, spasticity, and gait ataxia point to other systems (UMN or cerebellar problems) and are not typical early findings of muscular dystrophy.