Why Cant a Newborns Hands Straighten? What Should I Do?

Within four months of birth, a newborn's inability to straighten their hands may be a normal phenomenon and generally does not require special treatment. If the hands remain unable to straighten after four months of birth, it may be due to abnormal development or the presence of a disease, and prompt medical attention is required. Thumb adduction in infants is caused by poor flexibility of the muscles that stretch the thumb outward, resulting in inward movement of the thumb towards the palm. The main manifestations are tightly clenched fists, flexed thumbs, adducted thumbs, and the remaining four fingers are either outside or inside the thumb.

Many people become tense when they see thumb adduction in infants and worry that the baby may have cerebral palsy. However, it is a normal physiological phenomenon that babies are often fist-clenched in the first month after birth, as they have been holding fists in their mother's womb. Over time, the duration and severity of thumb adduction in infants gradually decrease. Therefore, if the fist-clenching persists for more than two months, it should be taken seriously.

Additionally, grasp reflex may still be present in babies within four months of birth. Occasional thumb adduction during this period is generally normal. However, if the baby frequently and persistently clenches their fist or adducts their thumb, or if the adduction does not decrease and the severity does not improve within 4-6 months, it is advisable to seek medical attention promptly. Thumb adduction in infants not only affects the development of fine motor skills such as grasping, holding, and pinching, but also hinders hand support, posture switching, crawling, and other training exercises during rehabilitation, thereby affecting motor development.

Parents should observe their child's symptoms carefully in daily life. If thumb adduction persists for a long time, it is necessary to seek prompt medical treatment at a reputable hospital to avoid potential impact on the child's future normal life. Each baby's situation is unique, and therefore, specific issues should be analyzed individually. There are various methods to treat the inability of a newborn's thumb to straighten, including surgical treatment. However, immediate surgery is not recommended due to the significant side effects associated with surgery in young babies. Surgery should be considered when the baby is older.