Repositioning or Positional Plagiocephaly Therapy:
- Place infant with his/her head turned on the opposite side (the rounder side) of the head. This can be achieved by placing a rolled up blanket beneath the back and hip on the flattened side, positioning the baby to 45 degrees. Place interesting objects on the opposite side of the bed to attract the infant's attention. Do NOT put the towel or blanket under the infants head because this may lead to suffocation.Many infants will wiggle off of the roll in a short time; consult with your pediatrician prior to employing this method.
- When holding, feeding, or carrying the infant, make sure there is no undue pressure placed on the flat side of the head. Change infant's head position from side to side during feeding time.
- Provide infant with plenty of supervised playtime on his or her tummy.This helps build and strengthen neck, shoulder and arm muscles, so "tummy time" is quite important.
When plagiocephaly positional therapy does not work:
We often recommend plagiocephaly positonal therapy as a first line of attack on plagiocephaly, and some of our patients get the correction they need from this method. Positional therapy certainly has its place, especially when treating our youngest patients. Because of children's growth patterns, positional therapy is less likely to be affective in babies over the age of 5 months. On your first visit, our practitioners will take baseline measurements and recommend positional therapy if appropriate, taking into consideration the age of the child and the severity of the asymmetry. We will continue to monitor for correction with this method and make further recommendations based on progress. If there is limited or no correctional results through positional therapy, we are likelt to recommend the following:
Orthotic Cranial Molding Treatment
(such as the KidCap by Infinite Technologies)
With KidCap Plagiocephaly Treatment,
Early Detection = Greater Success
Even if you don't choose KidCap as your cranial molding device to treat plagiocephaly, it is important to look for the following criteria in a practitioner:
- Experience treating a minimum of 50 plagiocephaly patients and can offer patient references
- Can provide you with information regarding their clinical background
- Record a comprehensive set of measurements for your child or infant at each appointment
- Use an FDA cleared device and can present you with the 510(k) number
- Knowledgeable of insurance guidelines related to plagiocephaly treatment and do not make false or exaggerated promises in reference to coverage
- Growth Rate Determines Correction
- Ideal Age to Begin Treatment is Between 3 and 6 Months of Age
- Younger Children Experience the Quickest Rate of Correction
- Correction Loses Efficiency as the Child Ages
- Though Still Effective, Treatment Time Increases Dramatically After 10 Months of Age
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