Can anyone describe the "milk-maid" grip?

[worriedmommy]

Dd started a new tic the other day where she squeezes her right hand over and over. I recorded it on the camcorder last night, so I could watch it in slow motion and see exactly what she's doing. The best I can describe is that she puts her hand in a fist with the tip of her thumb on the side of her pointer finger knuckle. While in this position, she presses with her thumb tip onto her knuckle over and over...usually between 5-10 times. Then she puts her hand down. Does this sound like the milk-maid grip? Does this tic have more significance than other tics? Just trying to determine if I should be more concerned about this tic than her other ones.

 

I should mention that she has done this to the point that her thumb is now hurting.

Edited April 28, 2010 by worriedmommy

[ajcire]

I'm not sure I really know what it is but I know that when we went to the neurologist the neurologist held out his fingers and told my ds to grasp them as tight as he could.... after that is when he told me that he has the milkmaid grip... at least I think that was what he did to determine it. It had to do with him tightening, then loosening, then tightening, then loosening his grip I thought but I could be totally wrong on this.

 

The milkmaid grip was not a tic though I don't think.

 

Dd started a new tic the other day where she squeezes her right hand over and over. I recorded it on the camcorder last night, so I could watch it in slow motion and see exactly what she's doing. The best I can describe is that she puts her hand in a fist with the tip of her thumb on the side of her pointer finger knuckle. While in this position, she presses with her thumb tip onto her knuckle over and over...usually between 5-10 times. Then she puts her hand down. Does this sound like the milk-maid grip? Does this tic have more significance than other tics? Just trying to determine if I should be more concerned about this tic than her other ones.

 

I should mention that she has done this to the point that her thumb is now hurting.

[dcmom]

ajcire- that is right. The milkmaid grip is a choreatic movement, not a tic. My dr does the same test, it is not so much something you see, but something you feel. You ask them to squeeze your two fingers tightly (in a cow milking type position). The milkmaid grip would be if you feel the loosening and tightening- they are not necessarily aware of it. I never felt it (kids wouldn't squeeze my fingers), but my kids had it. The dr termed it "mild chorea". It shows some neurological involvement.

[worriedmommy]

ajcire- that is right. The milkmaid grip is a choreatic movement, not a tic. My dr does the same test, it is not so much something you see, but something you feel. You ask them to squeeze your two fingers tightly (in a cow milking type position). The milkmaid grip would be if you feel the loosening and tightening- they are not necessarily aware of it. I never felt it (kids wouldn't squeeze my fingers), but my kids had it. The dr termed it "mild chorea". It shows some neurological involvement.

 

Thanks for the clarification. I'll try having her squeeze my fingers.

 

What she's doing is definitely noticable.

[marilina]

but then, from what you say, a child with this type of choreic movement is not able to continuously tighten the two fingers?

"Is not a movement you can see but you can feel"