There is currently no treatment available on the NHS and many babies are going undiagnosed. It is essential to treat babies as soon as possible to correct the irregular shape and prevent problems in later life.
Why is this treatment important?
Children need to be able to do the things that their friends and peers are doing – trying a new hairstyle, swimming without feeling self conscious, wearing a cycle or riding helmet without pain or problems with the fit, wearing glasses, having regular teeth. If a deformed head is left untreated these and other activities can become difficult and may affect the physical and psychological wellbeing of the child as they mature.
The treatment is designed to improve the life chances and keep open as many future opportunities as possible for children with this condition. To date, thousands of infants have been successfully treated with cranial remoulding and continue to benefit from the treatment they have received.
Heads Up guide
Össur has devised a ‘Heads Up Five-Step Guide' to spotting Plagiocephaly, allowing parents to spot the early signs of the condition.
Think; ‘Top, Turn, Look’. If the head shape looks unusual, seek advice and keep an eye on it. Unfortunately, asymmetric head shapes don’t always improve on their own.
- Look down on the head from on top. Many people notice an asymmetry when the baby is in the bath, as they look down on the head from above and the baby’s wet hair makes the shape all the more noticeable.
- Compare your baby’s head shape with others in his or her age group. If it looks wider or more asymmetric, then it may need some additional help to correct.
- Place your fingers on top of baby’s ears and bring your thumbs together across the face. This should highlight any difference in the level of the ears which could be problematic for wearing glasses in later life
If your baby is unable to turn his or her head fully in both directions, they may have a torticollis which is a tight muscle in one side of the neck. This should be treated as soon as it is noticed.
You can support Plagiocephaly Awareness Week simply by changing your Facebook profile picture to their logo. Download your copy here
Plagiocephaly awareness week went really well this year. Anything to increase the awareness is nothing but a good thing
ReplyDeleteBeing a new Mum is hard enough, but I imagine with worries and dealing with things such as Plagiocephaly is even more worrying. Websites and events like these are incredibly important.
ReplyDeleteI attended two of the awarness events this year and they both went down brilliantly! Facebook picture has been changed to support the cause.
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