Guest guest Posted December 23, 2004 Report Share Posted December 23, 2004 Hello and welcome. Have you had a chance to check out the photos file? If you look in Photos under Befor & After there is one fore repositioned. These are babies that did not ware a band, but rather avoided being put on there flat spot. Check it out. I am sure someone who has done only Repo will chime in. It does work, but not for every one. mom to S. (11mos) -Optic Nerve Hypoplasia -Central Hypotonia -Torticollis -Plagiocephaly DOCbanded 11/18/04 -- In Plagiocephaly , " Rick Handel " <rhandel@c...> wrote: > Hi, > I 'm new to this group. My 5 month old fraternal twin son has had a flat head since he was pretty young. One of the pediatricians in the practice we use said it probably wasn't bad enough to warrant a helmet, and ordered an X-ray to confirm positional plagiocephaly. Another doc in the practice said she thought he probably would need a helmet. They referred us to a specialist (a craniofacial plastic surgeon) who specializes in treating infants and children. I work in the medical profession and asked a few people and the doctor we were referred to has an excellent reputation. Anyway, I was sure he would need a helmet, but the plastic surgeon said he will not need a helmet and that he typically orders helmets in moderate or severe cases (I assume he thinks my son's case is less than moderate). He said he has mild torticollis and gave me daily stretching exercises to do. We have a follow-up in two months to see how his head looks and if the torticollis is improving. I'm a little bit nervous about not getting a helmet, but the doc assured me that he won't need one if " you do what I'm telling you to do. " My son is starting to sleep on the non-flat side a lot now and also rolls onto his belly a lot duing the night. He has a ton of " tummy time " now and loves it (this all started duing the last two weeks -- he hated tummy time before, but now that he can roll over, he loves it). So, I'm not very worried about him spending too much time on the flat side anymore. He isn't spending much time sleeping or awake on the flat side now. My question is: How much improvement in head shape can be expected without a helmet in relatively mild cases? Has anyone had luck with heads " rounding out " on their own as your child spent less time on the flat side? > > Thanks, > > Rick (proud father of and Abrianna born 7/19/04) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 23, 2004 Report Share Posted December 23, 2004 Hi Rick, we discovered our baby boy had a flat head on one side when he was 2 months old. Our doc kept telling us it was nothing because he was very young and the head would round up. We started aggresive repositioning and over the few next months the problem improved. However, his plagio was severe to begin with and now it is about moderate. The doc never recommended the helmet, she was always very confident the problem would disappear. When our baby turned 12 months she said it was too late and that his head would always be flat, but she added that it was okay because his hair would cover the problem! We have been after the helmet for 10 months now and it has been very frustrating. Finally we will be getting one in a few days. However the chances of correction are lower because our son is already an " older " baby. So what I would suggest is " Do not take any chances " . It is almost impossible to repo when the baby starts turning on his own. Your son is still very young and I am positive the helmet would completely correct his problem. mom to Landon 13 months --- In Plagiocephaly , " Rick Handel " <rhandel@c...> wrote: > Hi, > I 'm new to this group. My 5 month old fraternal twin son has had a flat head since he was pretty young. One of the pediatricians in the practice we use said it probably wasn't bad enough to warrant a helmet, and ordered an X-ray to confirm positional plagiocephaly. Another doc in the practice said she thought he probably would need a helmet. They referred us to a specialist (a craniofacial plastic surgeon) who specializes in treating infants and children. I work in the medical profession and asked a few people and the doctor we were referred to has an excellent reputation. Anyway, I was sure he would need a helmet, but the plastic surgeon said he will not need a helmet and that he typically orders helmets in moderate or severe cases (I assume he thinks my son's case is less than moderate). He said he has mild torticollis and gave me daily stretching exercises to do. We have a follow-up in two months to see how his head looks and if the torticollis is improving. I'm a little bit nervous about not getting a helmet, but the doc assured me that he won't need one if " you do what I'm telling you to do. " My son is starting to sleep on the non-flat side a lot now and also rolls onto his belly a lot duing the night. He has a ton of " tummy time " now and loves it (this all started duing the last two weeks -- he hated tummy time before, but now that he can roll over, he loves it). So, I'm not very worried about him spending too much time on the flat side anymore. He isn't spending much time sleeping or awake on the flat side now. My question is: How much improvement in head shape can be expected without a helmet in relatively mild cases? Has anyone had luck with heads " rounding out " on their own as your child spent less time on the flat side? > > Thanks, > > Rick (proud father of and Abrianna born 7/19/04) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 23, 2004 Report Share Posted December 23, 2004 Sorry I can't speak to repo advice-my son's was more severe and required a band. One suggestion though is to take frequent pics over the next months that you are using repo techniques, form all angles, so you can moonitor objectively if getting worse or better. If you post the pics, members of the board will let you know what they think. I want to comment about the tort. You should think about getting a formal PT eval/treatment for the tort. Tort babies tend to compensate for the tight muscle on the neck and it can affect motor development. Also, formal PT can help with stretching techniques- the more the tort is worked on, the less the baby will be on that flat spot, and the less likely you will need more invasive intervention on the tort later on. For more info, 's torticolliskids board is a great resource. Dara in land mom to Jonah/22mo/tort resolved/Doc Band grad/low tone --- In Plagiocephaly , " Rick Handel " <rhandel@c...> wrote: > Hi, > I 'm new to this group. My 5 month old fraternal twin son has had a flat head since he was pretty young. One of the pediatricians in the practice we use said it probably wasn't bad enough to warrant a helmet, and ordered an X-ray to confirm positional plagiocephaly. Another doc in the practice said she thought he probably would need a helmet. They referred us to a specialist (a craniofacial plastic surgeon) who specializes in treating infants and children. I work in the medical profession and asked a few people and the doctor we were referred to has an excellent reputation. Anyway, I was sure he would need a helmet, but the plastic surgeon said he will not need a helmet and that he typically orders helmets in moderate or severe cases (I assume he thinks my son's case is less than moderate). He said he has mild torticollis and gave me daily stretching exercises to do. We have a follow-up in two months to see how his head looks and if the torticollis is improving. I'm a little bit nervous about not getting a helmet, but the doc assured me that he won't need one if " you do what I'm telling you to do. " My son is starting to sleep on the non-flat side a lot now and also rolls onto his belly a lot duing the night. He has a ton of " tummy time " now and loves it (this all started duing the last two weeks -- he hated tummy time before, but now that he can roll over, he loves it). So, I'm not very worried about him spending too much time on the flat side anymore. He isn't spending much time sleeping or awake on the flat side now. My question is: How much improvement in head shape can be expected without a helmet in relatively mild cases? Has anyone had luck with heads " rounding out " on their own as your child spent less time on the flat side? > > Thanks, > > Rick (proud father of and Abrianna born 7/19/04) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 24, 2004 Report Share Posted December 24, 2004 Hi Rick I have seen both sides of it- and it is a difficult call. My daughter wore a helmet for four months, but she had severe plagio, there wasn't really any chance of complete correction on its own as her ears were out by an inch...She saw Dr Blecher in the Uk and I am delighted with the results. However, I know that my specialist doens't always recommend a helmet, and not if the asymmetry is under 1.2cm. I did recommend that another mum at playgroup got in contact with him when the baby was also five months, however, they decided jointly together not to band, as it seemed moderate at worst, and so they went for repo. I've seen the little boy since then at playgroup and they have done a fantastic job. He looks enormously better. However- there are no guarantees. It might be that your child's tort make repo difficult, however, the fact that your son is able to sleep on the non-flat side is very positive (my daughter simply couldn't get her head there). Take pictures every week from the top sides and front so you can chart any changes. I would suggest that if you don't seen any improvement in, say, a month or two, then you could revisit the helmet option if you are unhappy with the headshape. Finally- the severity does make a big difference. Is it just (I say just, but I know a lot of people worry about this) a flat spot? Personally I think a bit of a flat spot at the back is not as bad as having facial asymmetry and very misaligned ears or whole skull distortion- so if it is 'just' a flat spot, then that may influence your decision. One of the repo moderators who had a baby (Christie) did successfully repo her little girl starting age 5 months, so it can be done. There was a study published that showed repo was just as successful, but took a lot longer than a helmet (look in the database here for this paper). But I do think it is hard work as they are little wrigglers at this age. The positive sign is that your son is not resting on his flat spot at night- if that can also happen all day, then you are giving yourself the best chance of correction. You could go down the repo route for a couple more months and see what you think. No-one can say, though, what will happen for your individual child, so if you feel like you are always going to regret not getting a helmet, you could always have a consultation with one of the helmet providers in the States such as CT for an evaluation (they will tell you if they don't recommend a band). Good luck with this one Hannah (mum to Lucia, London, UK) Cranio grad > > Hi, > > I 'm new to this group. My 5 month old fraternal twin son has had > a flat head since he was pretty young. One of the pediatricians in > the practice we use said it probably wasn't bad enough to warrant a > helmet, and ordered an X-ray to confirm positional plagiocephaly. > Another doc in the practice said she thought he probably would need > a helmet. They referred us to a specialist (a craniofacial plastic > surgeon) who specializes in treating infants and children. I work > in the medical profession and asked a few people and the doctor we > were referred to has an excellent reputation. Anyway, I was sure he > would need a helmet, but the plastic surgeon said he will not need a > helmet and that he typically orders helmets in moderate or severe > cases (I assume he thinks my son's case is less than moderate). He > said he has mild torticollis and gave me daily stretching exercises > to do. We have a follow-up in two months to see how his head looks > and if the torticollis is improving. I'm a little bit nervous about > not getting a helmet, but the doc assured me that he won't need one > if " you do what I'm telling you to do. " My son is starting to sleep > on the non-flat side a lot now and also rolls onto his belly a lot > duing the night. He has a ton of " tummy time " now and loves it > (this all started duing the last two weeks -- he hated tummy time > before, but now that he can roll over, he loves it). So, I'm not > very worried about him spending too much time on the flat side > anymore. He isn't spending much time sleeping or awake on the flat > side now. My question is: How much improvement in head shape can > be expected without a helmet in relatively mild cases? Has anyone > had luck with heads " rounding out " on their own as your child spent > less time on the flat side? > > > > Thanks, > > > > Rick (proud father of and Abrianna born 7/19/04) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 24, 2004 Report Share Posted December 24, 2004 Hello Rick Welcome to the group. At your son's age repo can still work, but you will have to do aggressive repo. 24hrs a day. He should not be on the flatspot at all. Sleeping on his tummy is a big plus in that department, but make sure he is not favoring his tort side. That is why my daughter started tummy sleeping. Was easier for her not to strech out that tort side. I would also recomend you go for professional PT rather than " only " doing it at home. The tort needs to be resolved, or you will have a hard time with the repo. What I would recomend is that you take pictures top down, and then compare them weekly. Set yourself a time limit of repo, and then decide if it is working for your son. Maybe take pictures every wk to compare if it's working. That way you also have something to show docs/insurance that you indeed tried repo. Personally my baby was in a band, but we do have some repo success stories at your son's age. Good luck, and keep us up on 's progress Sandy Willow's Mom Wishing a Merry Christmas --- In Plagiocephaly , " Rick Handel " <rhandel@c...> wrote: > Hi, > I 'm new to this group. My 5 month old fraternal twin son has had a flat head since he was pretty young. One of the pediatricians in the practice we use said it probably wasn't bad enough to warrant a helmet, and ordered an X-ray to confirm positional plagiocephaly. Another doc in the practice said she thought he probably would need a helmet. They referred us to a specialist (a craniofacial plastic surgeon) who specializes in treating infants and children. I work in the medical profession and asked a few people and the doctor we were referred to has an excellent reputation. Anyway, I was sure he would need a helmet, but the plastic surgeon said he will not need a helmet and that he typically orders helmets in moderate or severe cases (I assume he thinks my son's case is less than moderate). He said he has mild torticollis and gave me daily stretching exercises to do. We have a follow-up in two months to see how his head looks and if the torticollis is improving. I'm a little bit nervous about not getting a helmet, but the doc assured me that he won't need one if " you do what I'm telling you to do. " My son is starting to sleep on the non-flat side a lot now and also rolls onto his belly a lot duing the night. He has a ton of " tummy time " now and loves it (this all started duing the last two weeks -- he hated tummy time before, but now that he can roll over, he loves it). So, I'm not very worried about him spending too much time on the flat side anymore. He isn't spending much time sleeping or awake on the flat side now. My question is: How much improvement in head shape can be expected without a helmet in relatively mild cases? Has anyone had luck with heads " rounding out " on their own as your child spent less time on the flat side? > > Thanks, > > Rick (proud father of and Abrianna born 7/19/04) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 24, 2004 Report Share Posted December 24, 2004 Yes, this sounds like a great plan. I do think the doc is right in the sense that the tort is mild. He does spend a lot of time sleeping on his stomach or side now, but we have also noticed that even when he is on his back he has started favoring sleeping on the the non-flat side. Even if we do notice him on his back towards the flat side, if we turn his head, he will keep it in the direction of the non-flat side now. This started about 2 weeks ago. Another question about helmets: If we do decide that we want a helmet after trying aggressive repo for a while, is 7 old months too late to start? Re: no helmet? Hello RickWelcome to the group. At your son's age repo can still work, but you will have to do aggressive repo. 24hrs a day. He should not be on the flatspot at all. Sleeping on his tummy is a big plus in that department, but make sure he is not favoring his tort side. That is why my daughter started tummy sleeping. Was easier for her not to strech out that tort side. I would also recomend you go for professional PT rather than "only" doing it at home. The tort needs to be resolved, or you will have a hard time with the repo. What I would recomend is that you take pictures top down, and then compare them weekly. Set yourself a time limit of repo, and then decide if it is working for your son. Maybe take pictures every wk to compare if it's working. That way you also have something to show docs/insurance that you indeed tried repo.Personally my baby was in a band, but we do have some repo success stories at your son's age. Good luck, and keep us up on 's progressSandy Willow's MomWishing a Merry Christmas> Hi, > I 'm new to this group. My 5 month old fraternal twin son has had a flat head since he was pretty young. One of the pediatricians in the practice we use said it probably wasn't bad enough to warrant a helmet, and ordered an X-ray to confirm positional plagiocephaly. Another doc in the practice said she thought he probably would need a helmet. They referred us to a specialist (a craniofacial plastic surgeon) who specializes in treating infants and children. I work in the medical profession and asked a few people and the doctor we were referred to has an excellent reputation. Anyway, I was sure he would need a helmet, but the plastic surgeon said he will not need a helmet and that he typically orders helmets in moderate or severe cases (I assume he thinks my son's case is less than moderate). He said he has mild torticollis and gave me daily stretching exercises to do. We have a follow-up in two months to see how his head looks and if the torticollis is improving. I'm a little bit nervous about not getting a helmet, but the doc assured me that he won't need one if "you do what I'm telling you to do." My son is starting to sleep on the non-flat side a lot now and also rolls onto his belly a lot duing the night. He has a ton of "tummy time" now and loves it (this all started duing the last two weeks -- he hated tummy time before, but now that he can roll over, he loves it). So, I'm not very worried about him spending too much time on the flat side anymore. He isn't spending much time sleeping or awake on the flat side now. My question is: How much improvement in head shape can be expected without a helmet in relatively mild cases? Has anyone had luck with heads "rounding out" on their own as your child spent less time on the flat side? > > Thanks,> > Rick (proud father of and Abrianna born 7/19/04)For more plagio info Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 24, 2004 Report Share Posted December 24, 2004 Hi Rick, Welcome to the group!! Are you located near a Cranial Tech office? They offer free, honest, evaluations. If your son is too mild to band they'll tell you. You can see if they have a clinic near you by clicking here: http://www.cranialtech.com/ClinicLocations/index.html In the meantime you can aggressively reposition, that's going to be hard considering he has torticollis. But it can be done and must be done 24 hours a day, everyday. You can get some great pointers by going into our files section in the folder REPOSITIONING HEADQUARTERS. Good luck and keep us posted! --- In Plagiocephaly , " Rick Handel " <rhandel@c...> wrote: > Hi, > I 'm new to this group. My 5 month old fraternal twin son has had a flat head since he was pretty young. One of the pediatricians in the practice we use said it probably wasn't bad enough to warrant a helmet, and ordered an X-ray to confirm positional plagiocephaly. Another doc in the practice said she thought he probably would need a helmet. They referred us to a specialist (a craniofacial plastic surgeon) who specializes in treating infants and children. I work in the medical profession and asked a few people and the doctor we were referred to has an excellent reputation. Anyway, I was sure he would need a helmet, but the plastic surgeon said he will not need a helmet and that he typically orders helmets in moderate or severe cases (I assume he thinks my son's case is less than moderate). He said he has mild torticollis and gave me daily stretching exercises to do. We have a follow-up in two months to see how his head looks and if the torticollis is improving. I'm a little bit nervous about not getting a helmet, but the doc assured me that he won't need one if " you do what I'm telling you to do. " My son is starting to sleep on the non-flat side a lot now and also rolls onto his belly a lot duing the night. He has a ton of " tummy time " now and loves it (this all started duing the last two weeks -- he hated tummy time before, but now that he can roll over, he loves it). So, I'm not very worried about him spending too much time on the flat side anymore. He isn't spending much time sleeping or awake on the flat side now. My question is: How much improvement in head shape can be expected without a helmet in relatively mild cases? Has anyone had luck with heads " rounding out " on their own as your child spent less time on the flat side? > > Thanks, > > Rick (proud father of and Abrianna born 7/19/04) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 24, 2004 Report Share Posted December 24, 2004 Rick, 7 months is still young so if you want to set that as your repo deadline you won't be waiting too long. Cranial Tech will band up to 24 months. Starbands go to 18 months. The best growth period is 3-9 months or there abouts. After 12 months growth slows down and correction just takes longer. mom to na DOC Grad 2/04 Tort Resolved South Carolina www.thefilyaws.com Rick Handel <rhandel@...> wrote: Yes, this sounds like a great plan. I do think the doc is right in the sense that the tort is mild. He does spend a lot of time sleeping on his stomach or side now, but we have also noticed that even when he is on his back he has started favoring sleeping on the the non-flat side. Even if we do notice him on his back towards the flat side, if we turn his head, he will keep it in the direction of the non-flat side now. This started about 2 weeks ago. Another question about helmets: If we do decide that we want a helmet after trying aggressive repo for a while, is 7 old months too late to start? Re: no helmet? Hello RickWelcome to the group. At your son's age repo can still work, but you will have to do aggressive repo. 24hrs a day. He should not be on the flatspot at all. Sleeping on his tummy is a big plus in that department, but make sure he is not favoring his tort side. That is why my daughter started tummy sleeping. Was easier for her not to strech out that tort side. I would also recomend you go for professional PT rather than "only" doing it at home. The tort needs to be resolved, or you will have a hard time with the repo. What I would recomend is that you take pictures top down, and then compare them weekly. Set yourself a time limit of repo, and then decide if it is working for your son. Maybe take pictures every wk to compare if it's working. That way you also have something to show docs/insurance that you indeed tried repo.Personally my baby was in a band, but we do have some repo success stories at your son's age. Good luck, and keep us up on 's progressSandy Willow's MomWishing a Merry Christmas> Hi, > I 'm new to this group. My 5 month old fraternal twin son has had a flat head since he was pretty young. One of the pediatricians in the practice we use said it probably wasn't bad enough to warrant a helmet, and ordered an X-ray to confirm positional plagiocephaly. Another doc in the practice said she thought he probably would need a helmet. They referred us to a specialist (a craniofacial plastic surgeon) who specializes in treating infants and children. I work in the medical profession and asked a few people and the doctor we were referred to has an excellent reputation. Anyway, I was sure he would need a helmet, but the plastic surgeon said he will not need a helmet and that he typically orders helmets in moderate or severe cases (I assume he thinks my son's case is less than moderate). He said he has mild torticollis and gave me daily stretching exercises to do. We have a follow-up in two months to see how his head looks and if the torticollis is improving. I'm a little bit nervous about not getting a helmet, but the doc assured me that he won't need one if "you do what I'm telling you to do." My son is starting to sleep on the non-flat side a lot now and also rolls onto his belly a lot duing the night. He has a ton of "tummy time" now and loves it (this all started duing the last two weeks -- he hated tummy time before, but now that he can roll over, he loves it). So, I'm not very worried about him spending too much time on the flat side anymore. He isn't spending much time sleeping or awake on the flat side now. My question is: How much improvement in head shape can be expected without a helmet in relatively mild cases? Has anyone had luck with heads "rounding out" on their own as your child spent less time on the flat side? > > Thanks,> > Rick (proud father of and Abrianna born 7/19/04)For more plagio info Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 24, 2004 Report Share Posted December 24, 2004 I'm in VA. It looks like the closest office is about 3 hours from me. Not bad - I have family in the area. Yet another option to discuss with my wife! Thanks! Re: no helmet? Hi Rick,Welcome to the group!! Are you located near a Cranial Tech office? They offer free, honest, evaluations. If your son is too mild to band they'll tell you. You can see if they have a clinic near you by clicking here:http://www.cranialtech.com/ClinicLocations/index.htmlIn the meantime you can aggressively reposition, that's going to be hard considering he has torticollis. But it can be done and must be done 24 hours a day, everyday. You can get some great pointers by going into our files section in the folder REPOSITIONING HEADQUARTERS.Good luck and keep us posted!> Hi, > I 'm new to this group. My 5 month old fraternal twin son has had a flat head since he was pretty young. One of the pediatricians in the practice we use said it probably wasn't bad enough to warrant a helmet, and ordered an X-ray to confirm positional plagiocephaly. Another doc in the practice said she thought he probably would need a helmet. They referred us to a specialist (a craniofacial plastic surgeon) who specializes in treating infants and children. I work in the medical profession and asked a few people and the doctor we were referred to has an excellent reputation. Anyway, I was sure he would need a helmet, but the plastic surgeon said he will not need a helmet and that he typically orders helmets in moderate or severe cases (I assume he thinks my son's case is less than moderate). He said he has mild torticollis and gave me daily stretching exercises to do. We have a follow-up in two months to see how his head looks and if the torticollis is improving. I'm a little bit nervous about not getting a helmet, but the doc assured me that he won't need one if "you do what I'm telling you to do." My son is starting to sleep on the non-flat side a lot now and also rolls onto his belly a lot duing the night. He has a ton of "tummy time" now and loves it (this all started duing the last two weeks -- he hated tummy time before, but now that he can roll over, he loves it). So, I'm not very worried about him spending too much time on the flat side anymore. He isn't spending much time sleeping or awake on the flat side now. My question is: How much improvement in head shape can be expected without a helmet in relatively mild cases? Has anyone had luck with heads "rounding out" on their own as your child spent less time on the flat side? > > Thanks,> > Rick (proud father of and Abrianna born 7/19/04)For more plagio info Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 25, 2004 Report Share Posted December 25, 2004 I'm putting two replies together here (Sandy's and 's). Thank you. I was worrying yesterday that maybe we should just get get a helmet to be sure. But then I had a nice evening. Last night I went to my sister-n-law's house, and she hadn't seen Sam for a month or so. She said his head looks *much* better. Also, a friend of her's was there with her three children (2,3, and 5) and she said that they all had head flattening similar to Sam's when they were his age, but they were all fine now. I couldn't notice any flattening on her kids. I don't need for his head to be perfectly round; I just want it to a degree that no one can notice. We tried a little respositioning when he was younger, but it was *impossible* and our peditrician didn't stress the importance of it enough at his 2 month check-up. I don't understand what has happened, but ever since he started rolling over a couple of weeks ago, repositioning has been very easy. He usually rolls to his stomach to sleep now, but even when he is on his back, if he goes to the flat side we just turn his head the other way and he will keep it there now. Re: no helmet? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 26, 2004 Report Share Posted December 26, 2004 Rick, So far, there is no medical industry standard of what is mild, moderate, or severe plagio, nor is there a recommended protocol for taking measurements. I think the AAP's guidelines make reference to to mild, moderate, or severe, but provide no insight into what actually is mild, moderate, or severe! This means that assessment of plagio severity may be quite subjective to the individual specialist, so balance this fact with your own personal assessment. Likewise, whether or not a baby will round out naturally or with repo is impossible to predict! Owing to this, it's important to routinely monitor the baby's headshape during the time that you are repo'ing or just waiting for a head to round out, so that you can move on to a helmet/band in a timely fashion if you detect that improvement has stalled or maybe even regressed. Did the plastic surgeon take photos or measurements? How will he know at your son's follow-up in 2 months if his headshape has improved, stayed the same or worsened? Will he be relying on memory or perhaps your opinion? You may find help in ways to document your son's headshape changes yourself here at the site in the Files/Repo Headquarters folder. There are some interesting studies you might want to check into in the Links/Plagio Studies and Research/Studies about Natural Rounding and Repo you might want to read. Study author's conclusions should be read with care, however. An example would be a recently published study showing most cases of plagio/brachy resolve themselves by age 2; in this study, the threshold for " normal " measurements was an extremely generous 3 or more standard deviations off the mean. We didn't use a helmet or band to treat our daughter Remy's plagio/brachy - we just used repositioning! We started when she was 5 months and continued up until she was about 13 months. We set a deadline of 8 months of age to make a final decision on whether to helmet or not (later than I would recommend to others.) Her progress pics are in the Photos/Before and After/Repo folder. Our repo philosophy blended the obvious one of keeping her off of her flat area, with " holding " the bulging area as much as possible. Just like a helmet " holds " certain points of the head to redirect growth to the desired areas, we placed Remy's bulging area against seatbacks, sleep surfaces, our breastbone while holding her, etc. In keeping with this idea, she slept in my arms facing slightly outward, with the bulging side of her head against my breastbone for 3 straight months. It was grueling! Would you let me know if I can be of help? I have been gone from the group for a few weeks, but have you already posted a pic of your son? Maybe we could give you an idea about severity from a top or side view. Take care, Christie (Mom to Repo'd Remy)\ --- In Plagiocephaly , " Rick Handel " <rhandel@c...> wrote: > Hi, > I 'm new to this group. My 5 month old fraternal twin son has had a flat head since he was pretty young. One of the pediatricians in the practice we use said it probably wasn't bad enough to warrant a helmet, and ordered an X-ray to confirm positional plagiocephaly. Another doc in the practice said she thought he probably would need a helmet. They referred us to a specialist (a craniofacial plastic surgeon) who specializes in treating infants and children. I work in the medical profession and asked a few people and the doctor we were referred to has an excellent reputation. Anyway, I was sure he would need a helmet, but the plastic surgeon said he will not need a helmet and that he typically orders helmets in moderate or severe cases (I assume he thinks my son's case is less than moderate). He said he has mild torticollis and gave me daily stretching exercises to do. We have a follow-up in two months to see how his head looks and if the torticollis is improving. I'm a little bit nervous about not getting a helmet, but the doc assured me that he won't need one if " you do what I'm telling you to do. " My son is starting to sleep on the non-flat side a lot now and also rolls onto his belly a lot duing the night. He has a ton of " tummy time " now and loves it (this all started duing the last two weeks -- he hated tummy time before, but now that he can roll over, he loves it). So, I'm not very worried about him spending too much time on the flat side anymore. He isn't spending much time sleeping or awake on the flat side now. My question is: How much improvement in head shape can be expected without a helmet in relatively mild cases? Has anyone had luck with heads " rounding out " on their own as your child spent less time on the flat side? > > Thanks, > > Rick (proud father of and Abrianna born 7/19/04) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 27, 2004 Report Share Posted December 27, 2004 Hi Rick, My son's plagio and brachycephaly were mild and I was told that I would get some correction without a band, but more correction with a band. We started repostiioning and taking pictures at around 4-4.5 months. We really didn't get much improvement even though he was sleeping on his side and stomach as soon as he learned how to roll over. After months of agonizing we decided to band at 8.5 months. He's now 12 months old and his head has rounded out quite a bit, but there is still one stubborn round spot (about the size of a half dollar coin) that just refuses to " pop out. " He has not been wearing the helmet at night very often (my husband hates him sleeping in the helmet), but we have it on him during the day when he is in his car seat or stroller (so he isn't on the flat spot). I would just keep taking pictures and decide in a couple months. You might have a growth spirt and not have to think about it at all. Good luck, --- In Plagiocephaly , " Rick Handel " <rhandel@c...> wrote: > Hi, > I 'm new to this group. My 5 month old fraternal twin son has had a flat head since he was pretty young. One of the pediatricians in the practice we use said it probably wasn't bad enough to warrant a helmet, and ordered an X-ray to confirm positional plagiocephaly. Another doc in the practice said she thought he probably would need a helmet. They referred us to a specialist (a craniofacial plastic surgeon) who specializes in treating infants and children. I work in the medical profession and asked a few people and the doctor we were referred to has an excellent reputation. Anyway, I was sure he would need a helmet, but the plastic surgeon said he will not need a helmet and that he typically orders helmets in moderate or severe cases (I assume he thinks my son's case is less than moderate). He said he has mild torticollis and gave me daily stretching exercises to do. We have a follow-up in two months to see how his head looks and if the torticollis is improving. I'm a little bit nervous about not getting a helmet, but the doc assured me that he won't need one if " you do what I'm telling you to do. " My son is starting to sleep on the non-flat side a lot now and also rolls onto his belly a lot duing the night. He has a ton of " tummy time " now and loves it (this all started duing the last two weeks -- he hated tummy time before, but now that he can roll over, he loves it). So, I'm not very worried about him spending too much time on the flat side anymore. He isn't spending much time sleeping or awake on the flat side now. My question is: How much improvement in head shape can be expected without a helmet in relatively mild cases? Has anyone had luck with heads " rounding out " on their own as your child spent less time on the flat side? > > Thanks, > > Rick (proud father of and Abrianna born 7/19/04) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 27, 2004 Report Share Posted December 27, 2004 That's what we are going to do. Thanks! > > From: " " <sarahhj1222@...> > Date: 2004/12/27 Mon PM 01:14:41 EST > Plagiocephaly > Subject: Re: no helmet? I would just keep taking pictures and decide in a couple months. You might have a growth spirt and not have to think about it at all. Good luck, Hi Rick, My son's plagio and brachycephaly were mild and I was told that I would get some correction without a band, but more correction with a band. We started repostiioning and taking pictures at around 4-4.5 months. We really didn't get much improvement even though he was sleeping on his side and stomach as soon as he learned how to roll over. After months of agonizing we decided to band at 8.5 months. He's now 12 months old and his head has rounded out quite a bit, but there is still one stubborn round spot (about the size of a half dollar coin) that just refuses to " pop out. " He has not been wearing the helmet at night very often (my husband hates him sleeping in the helmet), but we have it on him during the day when he is in his car seat or stroller (so he isn't on the flat spot). I would just keep taking pictures and decide in a couple months. You might have a growth spirt and not have to think about it at all. Good luck, --- In Plagiocephaly , " Rick Handel " <rhandel@c...> wrote: > Hi, > I 'm new to this group. My 5 month old fraternal twin son has had a flat head since he was pretty young. One of the pediatricians in the practice we use said it probably wasn't bad enough to warrant a helmet, and ordered an X-ray to confirm positional plagiocephaly. Another doc in the practice said she thought he probably would need a helmet. They referred us to a specialist (a craniofacial plastic surgeon) who specializes in treating infants and children. I work in the medical profession and asked a few people and the doctor we were referred to has an excellent reputation. Anyway, I was sure he would need a helmet, but the plastic surgeon said he will not need a helmet and that he typically orders helmets in moderate or severe cases (I assume he thinks my son's case is less than moderate). He said he has mild torticollis and gave me daily stretching exercises to do. We have a follow-up in two months to see how his head looks and if the torticollis is improving. I'm a little bit nervous about not getting a helmet, but the doc assured me that he won't need one if " you do what I'm telling you to do. " My son is starting to sleep on the non-flat side a lot now and also rolls onto his belly a lot duing the night. He has a ton of " tummy time " now and loves it (this all started duing the last two weeks -- he hated tummy time before, but now that he can roll over, he loves it). So, I'm not very worried about him spending too much time on the flat side anymore. He isn't spending much time sleeping or awake on the flat side now. My question is: How much improvement in head shape can be expected without a helmet in relatively mild cases? Has anyone had luck with heads " rounding out " on their own as your child spent less time on the flat side? > > Thanks, > > Rick (proud father of and Abrianna born 7/19/04) For more plagio info Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 27, 2004 Report Share Posted December 27, 2004 From: " redlocks2003 " <redlocks@...> Date: 2004/12/27 Mon AM 01:02:52 EST Plagiocephaly Subject: Re: no helmet? Rick, Likewise, whether or not a baby will round out naturally or with repo is impossible to predict! Owing to this, it's important to routinely monitor the baby's headshape during the time that you are repo'ing or just waiting for a head to round out, so that you can move on to a helmet/band in a timely fashion if you detect that improvement has stalled or maybe even regressed. > I've decided to take photos every week based on >recommendations from this group. Did the plastic surgeon take photos or measurements? > No! I wish he did. Our pediatrician wasn't even going to >refer us out. We had to ask for it. How will he know at your son's follow-up in 2 months if his headshape has improved, stayed the same or worsened? Will he be relying on memory or perhaps your opinion? >I'm guessing the latter, so the photos should be useful. There are some interesting studies you might want to check into in the Links/Plagio Studies and Research/Studies about Natural Rounding and Repo you might want to read. Study author's conclusions should be read with care, however. An example would be a recently published study showing most cases of plagio/brachy resolve themselves by age 2; in this study, the threshold for " normal " measurements was an extremely generous 3 or more standard deviations off the mean. > I guess it would depend on what a standard deviation is, >no? Are there any photos of what 1 SD looks like compared >to a perfectly round head anywhere on the net? It may be >the case that 1 SD is not noticeable to the naked eye >in which case maybe 3 SD really does look " normal " to the >naked eye. We didn't use a helmet or band to treat our daughter Remy's plagio/brachy - we just used repositioning! We started when she was 5 months and continued up until she was about 13 months. We set a deadline of 8 months of age to make a final decision on whether to helmet or not (later than I would recommend to others.) > I think we are going to use 7 months. Her progress pics are in the Photos/Before and After/Repo folder. Our repo philosophy blended the obvious one of keeping her off of her flat area, with " holding " the bulging area as much as possible. >I looked through all the pics in all of the folders with my >wife. Most kids seem to have made nice improvements with >helmets or repo (no guarantees I know). I was reading one >article on the net from a doc the other night talking about >how plagioc is very rarely noticed in adults, so maybe the >condition is eventually self-correcting? Come to think of >it, I've never noticed a prominent " flat head " on an adult. >Anyway, I know one way or the other things will be OK. If >we don't like the improvement by 7 months, we will just get >a helmet. >Thanks! >Rick Rick, So far, there is no medical industry standard of what is mild, moderate, or severe plagio, nor is there a recommended protocol for taking measurements. I think the AAP's guidelines make reference to to mild, moderate, or severe, but provide no insight into what actually is mild, moderate, or severe! This means that assessment of plagio severity may be quite subjective to the individual specialist, so balance this fact with your own personal assessment. Likewise, whether or not a baby will round out naturally or with repo is impossible to predict! Owing to this, it's important to routinely monitor the baby's headshape during the time that you are repo'ing or just waiting for a head to round out, so that you can move on to a helmet/band in a timely fashion if you detect that improvement has stalled or maybe even regressed. Did the plastic surgeon take photos or measurements? How will he know at your son's follow-up in 2 months if his headshape has improved, stayed the same or worsened? Will he be relying on memory or perhaps your opinion? You may find help in ways to document your son's headshape changes yourself here at the site in the Files/Repo Headquarters folder. There are some interesting studies you might want to check into in the Links/Plagio Studies and Research/Studies about Natural Rounding and Repo you might want to read. Study author's conclusions should be read with care, however. An example would be a recently published study showing most cases of plagio/brachy resolve themselves by age 2; in this study, the threshold for " normal " measurements was an extremely generous 3 or more standard deviations off the mean. We didn't use a helmet or band to treat our daughter Remy's plagio/brachy - we just used repositioning! We started when she was 5 months and continued up until she was about 13 months. We set a deadline of 8 months of age to make a final decision on whether to helmet or not (later than I would recommend to others.) Her progress pics are in the Photos/Before and After/Repo folder. Our repo philosophy blended the obvious one of keeping her off of her flat area, with " holding " the bulging area as much as possible. Just like a helmet " holds " certain points of the head to redirect growth to the desired areas, we placed Remy's bulging area against seatbacks, sleep surfaces, our breastbone while holding her, etc. In keeping with this idea, she slept in my arms facing slightly outward, with the bulging side of her head against my breastbone for 3 straight months. It was grueling! Would you let me know if I can be of help? I have been gone from the group for a few weeks, but have you already posted a pic of your son? Maybe we could give you an idea about severity from a top or side view. Take care, Christie (Mom to Repo'd Remy)\ --- In Plagiocephaly , " Rick Handel " <rhandel@c...> wrote: > Hi, > I 'm new to this group. My 5 month old fraternal twin son has had a flat head since he was pretty young. One of the pediatricians in the practice we use said it probably wasn't bad enough to warrant a helmet, and ordered an X-ray to confirm positional plagiocephaly. Another doc in the practice said she thought he probably would need a helmet. They referred us to a specialist (a craniofacial plastic surgeon) who specializes in treating infants and children. I work in the medical profession and asked a few people and the doctor we were referred to has an excellent reputation. Anyway, I was sure he would need a helmet, but the plastic surgeon said he will not need a helmet and that he typically orders helmets in moderate or severe cases (I assume he thinks my son's case is less than moderate). He said he has mild torticollis and gave me daily stretching exercises to do. We have a follow-up in two months to see how his head looks and if the torticollis is improving. I'm a little bit nervous about not getting a helmet, but the doc assured me that he won't need one if " you do what I'm telling you to do. " My son is starting to sleep on the non-flat side a lot now and also rolls onto his belly a lot duing the night. He has a ton of " tummy time " now and loves it (this all started duing the last two weeks -- he hated tummy time before, but now that he can roll over, he loves it). So, I'm not very worried about him spending too much time on the flat side anymore. He isn't spending much time sleeping or awake on the flat side now. My question is: How much improvement in head shape can be expected without a helmet in relatively mild cases? Has anyone had luck with heads " rounding out " on their own as your child spent less time on the flat side? > > Thanks, > > Rick (proud father of and Abrianna born 7/19/04) For more plagio info Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 27, 2004 Report Share Posted December 27, 2004 Re: no helmet? Rick,Please keep us posted on how your son's repositioning and headshape is coming along; I'm wishing some rounding your way! I hope so! I wanted to post back very quickly to mention that the AAP acknowledges that the dramatic increase in plagiocephaly occurred concurrently with the launching of the back-to-sleep campaign and the change in recommended sleep position. That campaign just started in 1996, with compliance rates steadily increasing after that. I wouldn't think that, statistically, plagio would appear with anywhere near the frequency in adults today, since current day adults most likely all slept on their bellies as infants. I'm not sure that the fact that not many adults manifest noticeable plagio is a good indicator of how plagio might self-correct in light of this fact. I may be wrong about this, but wasn't the campaign started because there was a higher rate of SIDS in the U.S. compared to other countries where back sleeping was the norm? I wonder if there is a higher rate of plagio in adults in those countries? I wonder if there is a way to find out? Just a thought....... Rick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 28, 2004 Report Share Posted December 28, 2004 Not to but in to your conversation but I do have some comments. Nothing scientific but I have seen plagio in adults and very noticeable. As it seems it runs in my family. Not sure if we all just have softer heads or what the cause is but it does seem very prevalent in our family. All three of my uncles and my dad have flat spots. Some worse than others but noticeable. I have a small flat spot on my head also. My niece and my daughter have and are being banded to correct plagio. Over the holidays I had the opportunity to meet my cousin 14 month old and he had a very noticeable flat spot although his mother said that she is so thankful it had rounded out. Cant believe she thought that as both myself and brother noticed it right off and my brother say ear misalignment. So that being said I since they don't know if it will " round out " on its own I believe at leas tin my family it doesn't. Just a thought to ponder. Tish Teagan 4/25/04 Plagio/Tort/DOC band 11/26/04 Re: no helmet? > > Rick, > > > > Likewise, whether or not a baby will round out naturally or with > > repo is impossible to predict! Owing to this, it's important to > > routinely monitor the baby's headshape during the time that you are > > repo'ing or just waiting for a head to round out, so that you can > > move on to a helmet/band in a timely fashion if you detect that > > improvement has stalled or maybe even regressed. > > > > > I've decided to take photos every week based on >recommendations > from this group. > > > > > > Did the plastic > > surgeon take photos or measurements? > > > > > No! I wish he did. Our pediatrician wasn't even going to >refer > us out. We had to ask for it. > > > > > > How will he know at your son's > > follow-up in 2 months if his headshape has improved, stayed the > same > > or worsened? Will he be relying on memory or perhaps your > opinion? > > > > >I'm guessing the latter, so the photos should be useful. > > > > There are some interesting studies you might want to check into in > > the Links/Plagio Studies and Research/Studies about Natural > Rounding > > and Repo you might want to read. Study author's conclusions should > > be read with care, however. An example would be a recently > > published study showing most cases of plagio/brachy resolve > > themselves by age 2; in this study, the threshold for " normal " > > measurements was an extremely generous 3 or more standard > deviations > > off the mean. > > > > > I guess it would depend on what a standard deviation is, >no? > Are there any photos of what 1 SD looks like compared >to a > perfectly round head anywhere on the net? It may be >the case that > 1 SD is not noticeable to the naked eye > > >in which case maybe 3 SD really does look " normal " to the >naked > eye. > > > > We didn't use a helmet or band to treat our daughter Remy's > > plagio/brachy - we just used repositioning! We started when she > was > > 5 months and continued up until she was about 13 months. We set a > > deadline of 8 months of age to make a final decision on whether to > > helmet or not (later than I would recommend to others.) > > > > > I think we are going to use 7 months. > > > > Her > > progress pics are in the Photos/Before and After/Repo folder. Our > > repo philosophy blended the obvious one of keeping her off of her > > flat area, with " holding " the bulging area as much as possible. > > > > >I looked through all the pics in all of the folders with my > >wife. Most kids seem to have made nice improvements with >helmets > or repo (no guarantees I know). I was reading one >article on the > net from a doc the other night talking about >how plagioc is very > rarely noticed in adults, so maybe the >condition is eventually self- > correcting? Come to think of >it, I've never noticed a > prominent " flat head " on an adult. >Anyway, I know one way or > the other things will be OK. If >we don't like the improvement by 7 > months, we will just get >a helmet. > > > > >Thanks! > > > > >Rick > > > > > > > For more plagio info Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 28, 2004 Report Share Posted December 28, 2004 Hi Rick, I see that you have rec'd some great replies so I just wanted to say welcome to the group. It sounds like you have a great plan for your son. 7 mos. old would not be too late if you wanted to go for a helmet. This would also give you time to research band providers near you. We started at 9 mos. old for mod-severe brachy and I wish I would've started a little earlier but we still saw some good correction. Pics are under Colin F. (b & a STARband). Good luck! Sue Colin F., 15 mos. STARband grad --- In Plagiocephaly , " Rick Handel " <rhandel@c...> wrote: > Hi, > I 'm new to this group. My 5 month old fraternal twin son has had a flat head since he was pretty young. One of the pediatricians in the practice we use said it probably wasn't bad enough to warrant a helmet, and ordered an X-ray to confirm positional plagiocephaly. Another doc in the practice said she thought he probably would need a helmet. They referred us to a specialist (a craniofacial plastic surgeon) who specializes in treating infants and children. I work in the medical profession and asked a few people and the doctor we were referred to has an excellent reputation. Anyway, I was sure he would need a helmet, but the plastic surgeon said he will not need a helmet and that he typically orders helmets in moderate or severe cases (I assume he thinks my son's case is less than moderate). He said he has mild torticollis and gave me daily stretching exercises to do. We have a follow-up in two months to see how his head looks and if the torticollis is improving. I'm a little bit nervous about not getting a helmet, but the doc assured me that he won't need one if " you do what I'm telling you to do. " My son is starting to sleep on the non-flat side a lot now and also rolls onto his belly a lot duing the night. He has a ton of " tummy time " now and loves it (this all started duing the last two weeks -- he hated tummy time before, but now that he can roll over, he loves it). So, I'm not very worried about him spending too much time on the flat side anymore. He isn't spending much time sleeping or awake on the flat side now. My question is: How much improvement in head shape can be expected without a helmet in relatively mild cases? Has anyone had luck with heads " rounding out " on their own as your child spent less time on the flat side? > > Thanks, > > Rick (proud father of and Abrianna born 7/19/04) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 28, 2004 Report Share Posted December 28, 2004 Thanks! > > From: " Sue " <justsue5@...> > Date: 2004/12/28 Tue AM 10:52:12 EST > Plagiocephaly > Subject: Re: no helmet? > > Hi Rick, I see that you have rec'd some great replies so I just wanted to say welcome to the group. It sounds like you have a great plan for your son. 7 mos. old would not be too late if you wanted to go for a helmet. This would also give you time to research band providers near you. We started at 9 mos. old for mod-severe brachy and I wish I would've started a little earlier but we still saw some good correction. Pics are under Colin F. (b & a STARband). Good luck! Sue Colin F., 15 mos. STARband grad --- In Plagiocephaly , " Rick Handel " <rhandel@c...> wrote: > Hi, > I 'm new to this group. My 5 month old fraternal twin son has had a flat head since he was pretty young. One of the pediatricians in the practice we use said it probably wasn't bad enough to warrant a helmet, and ordered an X-ray to confirm positional plagiocephaly. Another doc in the practice said she thought he probably would need a helmet. They referred us to a specialist (a craniofacial plastic surgeon) who specializes in treating infants and children. I work in the medical profession and asked a few people and the doctor we were referred to has an excellent reputation. Anyway, I was sure he would need a helmet, but the plastic surgeon said he will not need a helmet and that he typically orders helmets in moderate or severe cases (I assume he thinks my son's case is less than moderate). He said he has mild torticollis and gave me daily stretching exercises to do. We have a follow-up in two months to see how his head looks and if the torticollis is improving. I'm a little bit nervous about not getting a helmet, but the doc assured me that he won't need one if " you do what I'm telling you to do. " My son is starting to sleep on the non-flat side a lot now and also rolls onto his belly a lot duing the night. He has a ton of " tummy time " now and loves it (this all started duing the last two weeks -- he hated tummy time before, but now that he can roll over, he loves it). So, I'm not very worried about him spending too much time on the flat side anymore. He isn't spending much time sleeping or awake on the flat side now. My question is: How much improvement in head shape can be expected without a helmet in relatively mild cases? Has anyone had luck with heads " rounding out " on their own as your child spent less time on the flat side? > > Thanks, > > Rick (proud father of and Abrianna born 7/19/04) For more plagio info Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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