New to Group - Hip Displacement. Also, any fellow Canadians?

May 26, 2008

Hello I'm new to this group and I live in Canada. I'm just

wondering if there any other fellow Canadian's out there who are

going through the headbanding experience with their child?

Wondering also if there is a difference between what happens in

Canada vs the USA regarding the headbanding or the type of helmut.

I do searches on the internet and always wonder if the information I

see there can be applicable to us here in Canada.

My son is now 9 1/2 months old and we are waiting for our first

appointment with the Orthotist this Wednesday (today is Monday). We

first started noticing flattening of his head on the left side when

he was about 5 months (can't completely remember?). At his 6 month

check up, our GP reffered him to a Pediatrician for his flattening,

and then after assessment from the Pediatrician we were reffered to

Children's to see an OT, and now we have set the appointment with

the Orthotist which has taken 2 1/2 weeks to get in. That's 4 1/2

months later. Anyways, perhaps this is normal, and I think they

wanted to wait it out to see if there were going to be any

improvements before they jumped the gun with it all.

Anyways, my son's story is that he had a hip displacement when he

was first born and he wore a full-body brace to help heal his hip

displacement which he wore 23 hrs a day for the first 2 1/2 months

of his life. (It was a difficult delivery with him and they had to

use the vacuum to get him out. He was really stuck.)

He also seemed to have Torticolis and would only turn his head to

the left, hence the flattening on the left side.

I am nervous about his appointment on Wednesday and praying that the

whole experience will not be too traumatizing for him. I am not

looking forward to the cast molding process at all. But I hear that

it goes quick. I am also afraid of skin irritation with the head

band as he deals with excema at times. Is there anything that can

help with trying to prevent irriations, or are they inevitable, and

you just deal with them as they come?

I am also wondering if people have noticed any developmental delays

in their children as a result of wearing the helmut. My son is 9

1/2 months old and just sitting now and still slightly unstable at

it. He's a big kid - 24 lbs. I hear that some kids who are bigger

don't begin to crawl until later on. Will the helmut cause it to be

a bit more delayed? Every kid is different I understand, but I am

just wondering other's experiences with this.

Anyways, a loaded message I know. I'm looking forward to doing some

more reading of the many posts in this group. Perhaps some of my

questions are already answered there.

Shari

Mom to:

Nolan - 9 1/2 months

Olivia - 2 1/2 months

May 26, 2008

I am from Canada my son had his first appt at 7 months, it was

frusterating waiting all that time for the appt but once they saw him &

how severe he was things moved fast infact I was in the very next day to

have his head scan it takes 30 seconds (does your hospital use a

starscanner?) the band came back 10 days later to be fitted (usually

about an hour long appt at my hospital).

My sons plagio & torrticollis were both from birth as well, we did

alot of physio for the tort & its so improved infact barley noticable to

what it was we saw great improvements once he was in his starband. He

does have delays but its really hard to say if its from the treatment or

not .

We are on our second starband having some issues but I will not get into

them here in your thread.

Good luck with your jorney I am from Calgary AB

>

> Hello I'm new to this group and I live in Canada. I'm just

> wondering if there any other fellow Canadian's out there who are

> going through the headbanding experience with their child?

> Wondering also if there is a difference between what happens in

> Canada vs the USA regarding the headbanding or the type of helmut.

> I do searches on the internet and always wonder if the information I

> see there can be applicable to us here in Canada.

>

> My son is now 9 1/2 months old and we are waiting for our first

> appointment with the Orthotist this Wednesday (today is Monday). We

> first started noticing flattening of his head on the left side when

> he was about 5 months (can't completely remember?). At his 6 month

> check up, our GP reffered him to a Pediatrician for his flattening,

> and then after assessment from the Pediatrician we were reffered to

> Children's to see an OT, and now we have set the appointment with

> the Orthotist which has taken 2 1/2 weeks to get in. That's 4 1/2

> months later. Anyways, perhaps this is normal, and I think they

> wanted to wait it out to see if there were going to be any

> improvements before they jumped the gun with it all.

>

> Anyways, my son's story is that he had a hip displacement when he

> was first born and he wore a full-body brace to help heal his hip

> displacement which he wore 23 hrs a day for the first 2 1/2 months

> of his life. (It was a difficult delivery with him and they had to

> use the vacuum to get him out. He was really stuck.)

> He also seemed to have Torticolis and would only turn his head to

> the left, hence the flattening on the left side.

>

> I am nervous about his appointment on Wednesday and praying that the

> whole experience will not be too traumatizing for him. I am not

> looking forward to the cast molding process at all. But I hear that

> it goes quick. I am also afraid of skin irritation with the head

> band as he deals with excema at times. Is there anything that can

> help with trying to prevent irriations, or are they inevitable, and

> you just deal with them as they come?

>

> I am also wondering if people have noticed any developmental delays

> in their children as a result of wearing the helmut. My son is 9

> 1/2 months old and just sitting now and still slightly unstable at

> it. He's a big kid - 24 lbs. I hear that some kids who are bigger

> don't begin to crawl until later on. Will the helmut cause it to be

> a bit more delayed? Every kid is different I understand, but I am

> just wondering other's experiences with this.

>

> Anyways, a loaded message I know. I'm looking forward to doing some

> more reading of the many posts in this group. Perhaps some of my

> questions are already answered there.

>

> Shari

> Mom to:

> Nolan - 9 1/2 months

> Olivia - 2 1/2 months

>

May 26, 2008

Hi Shari,

welcome to the group. I'm american, but will tell you what I remember.

I remember several parents getting helmets from Sick Kids Hospital in

Toronto. I think it is their own helmet vs one of the more popular

bands (such as DOCband,Starband or Hanger).

Unfortunately your story of a slow start is pretty normal, I think

even more in Canada than in the US. It is too bad because helmets

usually work more quickly when children start at a younger age, since

the head is growing faster. However you should still see correction

starting at 10 mo. Where are you getting your helmet? What kind will

it be?

As for delays I think kids are just different. My daughter was also

big, but not as big as your son (she was around 90th percentile and 26

lbs at 12 mo). She was on time or early for all her milestones.

However, delays seem to be a little more common when tort is present.

Did your son receive PT for tort? If not you should ask for a

referral to someone who specializes in infant tort and have him

evaluated to see if therapy is needed.

My daughter was scanned so we didn't have to go through the casting

process, but I think it is usually over quickly. Most babies adapt

well to the bands. Sometimes a few extra adjustments are needed at

first to get the fit right. After a few weeks it becomes part of your

routine. Let us know how your next appointment goes.

-christine

sydney 2 yrs starband grad