Re: hi! has anyone experienced this?

[Guest guest]

Hi a,

Welcome to the group! I'm sure you'll get many more informed

responses to your post, but I just wanted to post to get the

discussion going.

Do you have any other opinions other than the PT that your son

doesn't have tort? I hope other tort-knowledgeable members chime in

on this question. I do know that about 80% of plagio babies do have

tort (my own daughter did not, however.) I'm sure any sort of

problem, though, that affects range of motion could definitely

contribute to development of plagiocephaly.

Regarding whether or not to evaluate the helmet option, the lack of

an industry-wide standard on what is mild, moderate, or severe

really compounds the problem. It makes the situation very

subjective, so it's important to balance any professional's

recommendation with your own " gut " feeling. Do you have any photos

of the top view that you can post of your son? There may be group

members here who have had babies with the same degree of plagio that

did see great correction from helmets/bands and can give you some

feedback about that. I agree that headshape correction would be a

separate issue from treating your baby's neck strain issue, but I

believe it is somewhat inaccurate to describe the plagiocephaly as

just a cosmetic effect. Links to recent studies here at the group

in the links/plagio studies and research folder point to visual

field development problems, auditory processing disorders, adult

sleep apnea issues, possible long-term developmental issues, or high

risk of astigmatism. We do have some members who have used or tried

craniosacral. I don't think any studies have been published in

medical journals on the efficacy of craniosacral on plagio

correction, but I think there is some data that industry has

published themselves in their own trade magazines. We have a link

to alternative therapies here at the site in the links/alternative

treatment folder, if you are interested.

Where are you located? We used aggressive repositioning only to

treat our daughter Remy's plagio/brachy, but there may be a group

member near you that can speak to any craniosacral or helmet/bands

available near you.

Take care,

Christie (Mom to Repo'd Remy)

--- In Plagiocephaly , " skcroteau31 " <skcroteau@h...>

wrote:

>

> Hi!

> wow, it looks like this is a busy group! I was hoping someone may

> have had a similar experience to what I'm going through now.

please

> pardon the length of this post...I'm new to this and am a little

> scattered because it's been quite a hectic few weeks for me with

all

> of this!

>

> I have a 6 month old son diagnosed with positional plagiocephaly.

> our ped sent us to plastic surgeon who said he was moderately

> affected, right in a gray zone as to benefiting from a helmet or

> not. i asked her what she would do if it was her child and she

said

> she wouldn't cast him (he also has excema so i was leery due to

his

> skin). Sshe said she'd seen really good results from pediatric

> physical therapy for craniosacral massage. so we were referred to

> physical therapy.

>

> the physical therapist (PT) feels that my son had a " neck strain "

> during a very difficult labor and delivery. he was posterior and

his

> head was asynclitic (not lined up with the birth canal). i was in

> labor for 6 days-12 hours a day of contractions 5-7 minutes apart,

> 45 seconds long. doctors said it was prodromal, non-progressing

> labor, and they couldn't admit me to the hospital until I was in

> full active labor. (Oh it was an awful week, but at least we both

> came out of it ok!) It wasn't prodromal labor, he just wasn't

> positioned to come out. the delivery was very difficult, but he

was

> delivered vaginally. the PT felt his that head was flexed, and

then

> he had to twist his neck to come out which has resulted in

strained

> and tight neck muscles (no torticollis has been evident or

> diagnosed) on one side affecting his occiput and how his skull

moves

> on the cervical spine...somehow leading to flattening on the right

> side. I did notice when he was born that for 1.5 months he favored

> looking only to the right side. At 4.5 months he stopped rolling.

PT

> feels that it was uncomfortable for him because he doesn't have

the

> range of motion in his neck to initiate the rolling. no other

> developmental issues to date. he appears to be a happy healty

little

> boy! PT also felt that the positional plagiocephaly is just the

> cosmetic sign of this problem and that even if we helmeted, his

head

> shape would improve, but it wouldn't solve the underlying problem

> and it would start to affect his motor development.

>

> I guess my question is, has anyone experienced this type of

> scenario? this type of recommendation? Also, has anyone taken

their

> infant to PT for this issue? How did it go? What were the

treatments

> like? Did the babies enjoy them? resist them? Any help would be

> appreciated!!! I'm so confused right now!

>

> Thank you very much, a, mom to 21 months and Eli 6

> months

[Guest guest]

My situation is somewhat similar.

I went into labor very fast with McKenna. My entire labor was under

15 minutes and she was delivered by a friend on my living room floor.

When she was referred to the therapist she said her mild plagio was

a result of her birth. She was passing through the birth canal when

I had an intense contraction. This caused a pull in her neck muscle

and then that muscle tightened.

I also noticed she favored one side. I just assumed she was most

comfortable sleeping like that. I had never heard of torticollis or

plagiocephaly (and she's my 4th) until the therapist explained

everything to me.

McKenna didn't have a very big flat spot. She had mild plagio but

did have misaligned ears and an asymmetrical face (not that I could

notice but the docs and therapist did.)

At her 9 month well baby she was referred to the therapist to be

evaluated. Because of her age, they didn't feel it would correct

itself. She was casted for her STARband and had it placed on August

23, 2004.

I really struggled with my decision since her plagio was minor. I

do not, for a single second, regret doing it now. The changes are

amazing. She was expected to be in the band for 3-6 months and will

be having it removed very soon. She could actually have it off now

but the orthotist said he'd try to work on one super tiny stubborn

spot since she was making such great progress.

I have photos in the album " McKenna " on this site if you want to

check out the change.

I hope I helped at least a little with your questions.

Tami and McKenna

STARband 08-23-04

--- In Plagiocephaly , " skcroteau31 " <skcroteau@h...>

wrote:

>

> Hi!

> wow, it looks like this is a busy group! I was hoping someone may

> have had a similar experience to what I'm going through now.

please

> pardon the length of this post...I'm new to this and am a little

> scattered because it's been quite a hectic few weeks for me with

all

> of this!

>

> I have a 6 month old son diagnosed with positional plagiocephaly.

> our ped sent us to plastic surgeon who said he was moderately

> affected, right in a gray zone as to benefiting from a helmet or

> not. i asked her what she would do if it was her child and she

said

> she wouldn't cast him (he also has excema so i was leery due to

his

> skin). Sshe said she'd seen really good results from pediatric

> physical therapy for craniosacral massage. so we were referred to

> physical therapy.

>

> the physical therapist (PT) feels that my son had a " neck strain "

> during a very difficult labor and delivery. he was posterior and

his

> head was asynclitic (not lined up with the birth canal). i was in

> labor for 6 days-12 hours a day of contractions 5-7 minutes apart,

> 45 seconds long. doctors said it was prodromal, non-progressing

> labor, and they couldn't admit me to the hospital until I was in

> full active labor. (Oh it was an awful week, but at least we both

> came out of it ok!) It wasn't prodromal labor, he just wasn't

> positioned to come out. the delivery was very difficult, but he

was

> delivered vaginally. the PT felt his that head was flexed, and

then

> he had to twist his neck to come out which has resulted in

strained

> and tight neck muscles (no torticollis has been evident or

> diagnosed) on one side affecting his occiput and how his skull

moves

> on the cervical spine...somehow leading to flattening on the right

> side. I did notice when he was born that for 1.5 months he favored

> looking only to the right side. At 4.5 months he stopped rolling.

PT

> feels that it was uncomfortable for him because he doesn't have

the

> range of motion in his neck to initiate the rolling. no other

> developmental issues to date. he appears to be a happy healty

little

> boy! PT also felt that the positional plagiocephaly is just the

> cosmetic sign of this problem and that even if we helmeted, his

head

> shape would improve, but it wouldn't solve the underlying problem

> and it would start to affect his motor development.

>

> I guess my question is, has anyone experienced this type of

> scenario? this type of recommendation? Also, has anyone taken

their

> infant to PT for this issue? How did it go? What were the

treatments

> like? Did the babies enjoy them? resist them? Any help would be

> appreciated!!! I'm so confused right now!

>

> Thank you very much, a, mom to 21 months and Eli 6

> months

[Guest guest]

Hithere

I don't have enormous experience with tort, but my daughter was

diagnosed with plagio probably caused by tight neck muscles. We went

down the helmet route as it was severe, but also did neck stretching

exercises on the advice of our band specialist who feels they are

key for resolving plagio.

For what it is worth, I don't see this as an either/or situation. I

would certainly take up the offer of PT if your daughter has tight

neck muscles, and also do any recommended exercises at home as well.

I would do this regardless of any helmet decision.

With regard to the helmet, there is no doubt that releasing the neck

muscles through PT alone would help with repositioning your little

one, as they will then be able lie on the unaffected side. However,

kids of 6 months plus are notoriously hard to reposition, as they

move where they like at night, usually back onto their flat spot

which is nice and comfy. You can't say for certain whether the

plagio will be resolved by PT or cranio-sacral therapy- I can see it

not getting worse, but you don't know if it will get better

(research, of which there is very little suggests some do, some

don't, you can't know for your child).

One of the moderators, Christie, here has a great question to ask

before thinking about a helmet (and she repo'ed her daughter, so has

no band axe to grind), which is 'would you be happy if you saw no

change in your daughter's head shape in the future?' If you are

basically satisfied that it is not too bad at present, and any

improvement is just a bonus, then the helmet may not be a good

option for you. If you would only be happy if there was change, then

research shows that a helmet will achieve this, so that would be a

good option. You could see how the first month of PT goes and if you

see an improvement. The issue with the helmet is time, however, as

the later you leave it, the less likely you are to see complete

correction, so you could not leave it indefinitely (optimum banding

would be at 6/7 months).

Go with what you want to do. I'm a little suspicious of the 'it's

ony cosmetic' argument- why is it so bad to care about the cosmetic

appearance of your child? I would certainly get braces for my

daughter if she had crooked teeth and personally I don't feel this

is a bad reason to band. However, I do agree with your therapist

that it is good to treat the underlying neck tightness on it's own,

or in addition to helmet therapy. It's not an either or- you could

do both.

Sometimes professionals have their own axe to grind a little- in

terms of seeing their approaches as a matter of contrasts, rather

than complementary, which would be more productive!

Hope this helps

Hannah (mum to Lucia, London, UK)

Cranio grad

--- In Plagiocephaly , " skcroteau31 " <skcroteau@h...>

wrote:

>

> Hi!

> wow, it looks like this is a busy group! I was hoping someone may

> have had a similar experience to what I'm going through now.

please

> pardon the length of this post...I'm new to this and am a little

> scattered because it's been quite a hectic few weeks for me with

all

> of this!

>

> I have a 6 month old son diagnosed with positional plagiocephaly.

> our ped sent us to plastic surgeon who said he was moderately

> affected, right in a gray zone as to benefiting from a helmet or

> not. i asked her what she would do if it was her child and she

said

> she wouldn't cast him (he also has excema so i was leery due to

his

> skin). Sshe said she'd seen really good results from pediatric

> physical therapy for craniosacral massage. so we were referred to

> physical therapy.

>

> the physical therapist (PT) feels that my son had a " neck strain "

> during a very difficult labor and delivery. he was posterior and

his

> head was asynclitic (not lined up with the birth canal). i was in

> labor for 6 days-12 hours a day of contractions 5-7 minutes apart,

> 45 seconds long. doctors said it was prodromal, non-progressing

> labor, and they couldn't admit me to the hospital until I was in

> full active labor. (Oh it was an awful week, but at least we both

> came out of it ok!) It wasn't prodromal labor, he just wasn't

> positioned to come out. the delivery was very difficult, but he

was

> delivered vaginally. the PT felt his that head was flexed, and

then

> he had to twist his neck to come out which has resulted in

strained

> and tight neck muscles (no torticollis has been evident or

> diagnosed) on one side affecting his occiput and how his skull

moves

> on the cervical spine...somehow leading to flattening on the right

> side. I did notice when he was born that for 1.5 months he favored

> looking only to the right side. At 4.5 months he stopped rolling.

PT

> feels that it was uncomfortable for him because he doesn't have

the

> range of motion in his neck to initiate the rolling. no other

> developmental issues to date. he appears to be a happy healty

little

> boy! PT also felt that the positional plagiocephaly is just the

> cosmetic sign of this problem and that even if we helmeted, his

head

> shape would improve, but it wouldn't solve the underlying problem

> and it would start to affect his motor development.

>

> I guess my question is, has anyone experienced this type of

> scenario? this type of recommendation? Also, has anyone taken

their

> infant to PT for this issue? How did it go? What were the

treatments

> like? Did the babies enjoy them? resist them? Any help would be

> appreciated!!! I'm so confused right now!

>

> Thank you very much, a, mom to 21 months and Eli 6

> months

[Guest guest]

Hello a

Welcome to the group.

My daughter Willow did have torticollis, and favored one side over

the other. What you are describing sounds to me as if your son does

have torticollis, but of course a doc would have to diagnose this.

Willow my daughter was in physical therapy, and occupational therapy

for 8months before they discharged us, and said that Willow's tort

was resolved. We also did home streches. Willow was a bit

premature, so she was a bit late in almost everything. You might

want to start getting your son in regular therapy for this issue, be

it tort or not. If there is a tightness, then it NEEDS to be

addressed.

The banding is another issue. You might want to sit back and think

about how you feel. Look at your son's head, and forget everyone's

opinion about it. Just you! Then you might be able to make a

better decision. If you are happy, then let it be, if not then do

soemthing about it. Either way, no matter what you do, you will

find tons of support here.

Sandy Willow's Mom

Torticollis resolved

Cranio Germany Grad

--- In Plagiocephaly , " skcroteau31 " <skcroteau@h...>

wrote:

>

> Hi!

> wow, it looks like this is a busy group! I was hoping someone may

> have had a similar experience to what I'm going through now.

please

> pardon the length of this post...I'm new to this and am a little

> scattered because it's been quite a hectic few weeks for me with

all

> of this!

>

> I have a 6 month old son diagnosed with positional plagiocephaly.

> our ped sent us to plastic surgeon who said he was moderately

> affected, right in a gray zone as to benefiting from a helmet or

> not. i asked her what she would do if it was her child and she

said

> she wouldn't cast him (he also has excema so i was leery due to

his

> skin). Sshe said she'd seen really good results from pediatric

> physical therapy for craniosacral massage. so we were referred to

> physical therapy.

>

> the physical therapist (PT) feels that my son had a " neck strain "

> during a very difficult labor and delivery. he was posterior and

his

> head was asynclitic (not lined up with the birth canal). i was in

> labor for 6 days-12 hours a day of contractions 5-7 minutes apart,

> 45 seconds long. doctors said it was prodromal, non-progressing

> labor, and they couldn't admit me to the hospital until I was in

> full active labor. (Oh it was an awful week, but at least we both

> came out of it ok!) It wasn't prodromal labor, he just wasn't

> positioned to come out. the delivery was very difficult, but he

was

> delivered vaginally. the PT felt his that head was flexed, and

then

> he had to twist his neck to come out which has resulted in

strained

> and tight neck muscles (no torticollis has been evident or

> diagnosed) on one side affecting his occiput and how his skull

moves

> on the cervical spine...somehow leading to flattening on the right

> side. I did notice when he was born that for 1.5 months he favored

> looking only to the right side. At 4.5 months he stopped rolling.

PT

> feels that it was uncomfortable for him because he doesn't have

the

> range of motion in his neck to initiate the rolling. no other

> developmental issues to date. he appears to be a happy healty

little

> boy! PT also felt that the positional plagiocephaly is just the

> cosmetic sign of this problem and that even if we helmeted, his

head

> shape would improve, but it wouldn't solve the underlying problem

> and it would start to affect his motor development.

>

> I guess my question is, has anyone experienced this type of

> scenario? this type of recommendation? Also, has anyone taken

their

> infant to PT for this issue? How did it go? What were the

treatments

> like? Did the babies enjoy them? resist them? Any help would be

> appreciated!!! I'm so confused right now!

>

> Thank you very much, a, mom to 21 months and Eli 6

> months

[Guest guest]

a,

Welcome to the group and I second everything Hannah said. My daughter had plagio and tort due to intrauterine constraint. We started at home pt at 3 months. She was banded from 4 1/2 - 8 1/2 months (2 DOC bands). She went into outpatient PT at 9 months. It is very important to work on the neck muscles!!! Here are some tips we have compiled (they work for "simple" tight neck muscles too) ...

Torticollis Stretching.doc Stretching & Strengthening Tips

Like Hannah said if you are happy with her current head shape then maybe PT is enough. If you aren't then your best bet is a band.

mom to na

DOC Gradhannah_farrimond <hannah_farrimond@...> wrote:

HithereI don't have enormous experience with tort, but my daughter was diagnosed with plagio probably caused by tight neck muscles. We went down the helmet route as it was severe, but also did neck stretching exercises on the advice of our band specialist who feels they are key for resolving plagio.For what it is worth, I don't see this as an either/or situation. I would certainly take up the offer of PT if your daughter has tight neck muscles, and also do any recommended exercises at home as well. I would do this regardless of any helmet decision. With regard to the helmet, there is no doubt that releasing the neck muscles through PT alone would help with repositioning your little one, as they will then be able lie on the unaffected side. However, kids of 6 months plus are notoriously hard to reposition, as they

move where they like at night, usually back onto their flat spot which is nice and comfy. You can't say for certain whether the plagio will be resolved by PT or cranio-sacral therapy- I can see it not getting worse, but you don't know if it will get better (research, of which there is very little suggests some do, some don't, you can't know for your child). One of the moderators, Christie, here has a great question to ask before thinking about a helmet (and she repo'ed her daughter, so has no band axe to grind), which is 'would you be happy if you saw no change in your daughter's head shape in the future?' If you are basically satisfied that it is not too bad at present, and any improvement is just a bonus, then the helmet may not be a good option for you. If you would only be happy if there was change, then research shows that a helmet will achieve this, so that would be a good option. You could see how the first month

of PT goes and if you see an improvement. The issue with the helmet is time, however, as the later you leave it, the less likely you are to see complete correction, so you could not leave it indefinitely (optimum banding would be at 6/7 months).Go with what you want to do. I'm a little suspicious of the 'it's ony cosmetic' argument- why is it so bad to care about the cosmetic appearance of your child? I would certainly get braces for my daughter if she had crooked teeth and personally I don't feel this is a bad reason to band. However, I do agree with your therapist that it is good to treat the underlying neck tightness on it's own, or in addition to helmet therapy. It's not an either or- you could do both.Sometimes professionals have their own axe to grind a little- in terms of seeing their approaches as a matter of contrasts, rather than complementary, which would be more productive!Hope this

helpsHannah (mum to Lucia, London, UK)Cranio grad> > Hi!> wow, it looks like this is a busy group! I was hoping someone may > have had a similar experience to what I'm going through now. please > pardon the length of this post...I'm new to this and am a little > scattered because it's been quite a hectic few weeks for me with all > of this!> > I have a 6 month old son diagnosed with positional plagiocephaly. > our ped sent us to plastic surgeon who said he was moderately > affected, right in a gray zone as to benefiting from a helmet or > not. i asked her what she would do if it was her child and she said > she wouldn't cast him (he also has excema so i was leery due to his > skin). Sshe said she'd seen really good results from pediatric > physical

therapy for craniosacral massage. so we were referred to > physical therapy.> > the physical therapist (PT) feels that my son had a "neck strain" > during a very difficult labor and delivery. he was posterior and his > head was asynclitic (not lined up with the birth canal). i was in > labor for 6 days-12 hours a day of contractions 5-7 minutes apart, > 45 seconds long. doctors said it was prodromal, non-progressing > labor, and they couldn't admit me to the hospital until I was in > full active labor. (Oh it was an awful week, but at least we both > came out of it ok!) It wasn't prodromal labor, he just wasn't > positioned to come out. the delivery was very difficult, but he was > delivered vaginally. the PT felt his that head was flexed, and then > he had to twist his neck to come out which has resulted in strained > and tight neck muscles (no torticollis has been

evident or > diagnosed) on one side affecting his occiput and how his skull moves > on the cervical spine...somehow leading to flattening on the right > side. I did notice when he was born that for 1.5 months he favored > looking only to the right side. At 4.5 months he stopped rolling. PT > feels that it was uncomfortable for him because he doesn't have the > range of motion in his neck to initiate the rolling. no other > developmental issues to date. he appears to be a happy healty little > boy! PT also felt that the positional plagiocephaly is just the > cosmetic sign of this problem and that even if we helmeted, his head > shape would improve, but it wouldn't solve the underlying problem > and it would start to affect his motor development.> > I guess my question is, has anyone experienced this type of > scenario? this type of recommendation? Also, has anyone

taken their > infant to PT for this issue? How did it go? What were the treatments > like? Did the babies enjoy them? resist them? Any help would be > appreciated!!! I'm so confused right now!> > Thank you very much, a, mom to 21 months and Eli 6 > months :)For more plagio info