Safe to sleep

Many parents not following safe-sleep advice for babies

Most babies are being placed on their backs to sleep—one of the key ways to reduce the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), the study found. Infant deaths from accidental suffocation or strangulation during sleep have inched … READ MORE

What is torticollis in babies, and how is it treated? Because it’s literally a pain in the neck

If your baby appears to have a constant head tilt, then your pediatrician may diagnose the condition as torticollis. So what is torticollis in babies, and how is it typically treated? For the most part, this condition can be cured in … READ MORE

Babies with position-related head deformities need specialist evaluation and conservative treatment

Editor calls for ‘new directions’ in deformational plagiocephaly research. In the two decades since the start of Back to Sleep campaign, doctors and surgeons have seen a surge in the number of infants with … READ MORE

Baby helmet therapy tips and advice

When I learned of our baby’s craniosynostosis diagnosis, and that I wanted to push and fight for him to have the less invasive surgery, I also knew that baby helmet therapy was part of that package deal. The surgery fixed about 20% … READ MORE

How ‘tummy time’ factors into container baby syndrome – what primary care providers need to know

Some of the most commonly used devices for infants — car seats, swings, bouncy seats, strollers, carriers or any device that inhibits a young child’s chance to roll, move, wiggle and kick — pose a risk for motor skill delay, … READ MORE

Nonsynostotic deformational plagiocephaly: Understand, screen, and intervene

DP has a short window of opportunity for intervention while the skull bones are malleable; after age 24 months, the cranial sutures are generally fused. 0rthomerica Laura C. Steinmann RN, Samantha Elaine Struthers PhD OTR/L, Medscape … READ MORE

Plagiocephaly FAQs – National Association for Plagiocephaly

The National Association for Plagiocephaly. Below are some frequently asked questions about plagiocephaly. If your questions are not answered here, please contact The National Association for Plagiocephaly for more information. … READ MORE

Twin babies get helmets from Mary Free Bed

The two boys, Edgar and Vincent, have flat areas on the sides and down the middle-back of their heads, a consequence of positioning when they were in the womb. The boys landed in the severe category within a plagiocephaly and … READ MORE

Calgary infant head position and shape clinic

If your baby is diagnosed with Deformational Plagiocephaly, Brachycephaly or Scaphocephaly and is between the ages of 3 and 18 months, your pediatrician or specialist may refer you to a practitioner who specializes in providing … READ MORE

The rest of the story – helmet treatment

Just under three years ago, the O&P profession was startled by the publication of the first randomized controlled trial (RCT) on the efficacy of cranial remolding orthoses. Wren’s plagiocephaly and helmet journey – … READ MORE

Edmonton mom raises awareness about condition that requires baby to get head-shaping helmet

Angie McIntosh noticed her baby boy couldn’t turn his head to the right when he was six weeks old. Dylan McIntosh also had a strange flat spot on the left side of his head. Angie McIntosh’s baby Dylan has plagiocephaly, an … READ MORE

Infant positional plagiocephaly

Cranial asymmetry occurring as a result of forces that deform skull shape in the supine position is known as deformational plagiocephaly. Orthomerica Starband Carl Cummings MD, Principal author, Canadian Paediatric Society, Community … READ MORE

Does my infant need a helmet? Understanding positional plagiocephaly

Parents naturally start to worry if a flat spot began forming on the back of your baby’s head. It can be scary not knowing if it will go away. Since 47% of infants have some sort of flat spot, and one in 10 needing treatment, … READ MORE

Helmets do little to help moderate infant skull flattening, study finds

BMJ Helmet study — Our response. On May 1, 2014, the NY Times published an article discussing the recent British Medical Journal study that hypothesized that cranial helmets for babies don’t work to improve flat head syndrome. … READ MORE

Orthotic helmet therapy in the treatment of plagiocephaly

Jack. Orthomerica Starband Orthotic (helmet) therapy in the treatment of plagiocephaly, Goh JL, Bauer DF, Durham SR, Stotland MA. Neurosurg Focus. 2013 Oct;35(4):E2. doi: 10.3171/2013.7.FOCUS13260. Review. ▽ Table of Contents … READ MORE

Infant sleeping chairs linked to 32 deaths in US recalled in Canada

An infant sleeping chair linked to dozens of deaths in the United States has been recalled in Canada. U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Fast Company Ryan Flanagan, CTV News May 15, 2019 Health Canada says four models of the … READ MORE

Positional plagiocephaly – A survey of services across Canada

Across Canada, professionals from various disciplines work in the area of plagiocephaly. Most often, nurses, physiotherapists, and occupational therapists manage and run the clinics. The clinic in Calgary was the only clinic … READ MORE

Heads-up on positional plagiocephaly and whether it can affect a child’s development

When a child has positional plagiocephaly/brachycephaly (PPB) secondary to sleeping in the same position on their backs at night, we are usually asked two questions: 1. Will the flat head shape stay that way? and 2. Can it cause brain … READ MORE

How restrictive baby equipment can hinder development

As parents, we rely on convenient places to keep babies safe and contained, but common pieces of baby equipment could be leading to flat heads and muscle strains. Plagiocephaly, the clinical name for asymmetrical flat-headedness in … READ MORE

What’s the best treatment for positional plagiocephaly in infants?

Physical therapy—with helmet therapy if needed—is the recommended treatment for most infants with position-related flattening of the skull (plagiocephaly), according to a new set of clinical guidelines in the November issue of … READ MORE

Earlier helmet therapy yields better results for infants with skull flattening

For infants with skull flattening related to sleep position, starting helmet therapy at a younger age, especially before 24 weeks, increases the treatment success rate, suggests a study in the August issue of Plastic and … READ MORE

New research gives parents a heads-up (on plagiocephaly)

This morning, Kennedy had her 12-week scan done at STAR. I was so excited to take her, since I was pretty sure this would be the end of our time with the STARband. Kennedy has been wearing her helmet for three months – quite a long … READ MORE

Physical therapy is highly effective for infants with congenital muscular torticollis

Congenital muscular torticollis (CMT) is a common postural deformity in infants, and one that can be effectively treated by physical therapy. A set of updated, evidence-based recommendations for physical therapy management of CMT is … READ MORE

Flat head syndrome – what is it?

The term Flat Head Syndrome is another term for Plagiocephaly. Plagiocephaly is a blanket word for covering three different types of flattening on a child’s head. Align Clinics, Cardiff UK by Lisa Williams, Align Clinics March … READ MORE

Family shows solidarity with their 4-month-old who needs a helmet

Gary and Shayna Gutierrez, parents of two from San Antonio, Texas, found out last week that their 4-month-old son, Jonas, has brachycephaly. The common diagnosis develops when an infant’s soft skull becomes flattened in one … READ MORE

Conservative therapy can correct positional plagiocephaly

Researchers investigating the effectiveness of treatments for positional plagiocephaly found that conservative treatment and helmet therapy are effective for positional cranial deformation. They recommend that treatment can be guided … READ MORE

Helmet study highlighted in The New York Times is flawed

Cranial remolding expert Ellie Boomer CPO, shares her commentary on the helmet therapy article highlighted in the May 1 issue of The New York Times. UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital By Ellie Boomer CPO LPO, The O&P Edge … READ MORE

Almost half of babies have flat spot on head, but prevention is simple

Parents can take a few simple steps to prevent their baby’s head from becoming misshapen. 3D scanning for plagiocephaly helmet therapy with Orthomerica SmartSoc app. OAPL Sheryl Ubelacker, The Canadian Press, Global News Calgary … READ MORE

Hudson gets a helmet using 3D technology

Hudson Churchill was born one month premature. Because of his particularly tender skull, he began to develop a large flat spot on the back of his head called plagiocephaly. His mom, Adele, tried to round out the flatness with a … READ MORE

3D printed helmet aids babies healing from flat head syndrome

Recently “headway” is being made around the use of 3D printing for “CranioCaps” to treat a condition in infants’ known as Flat Head Syndrome. Nolan and Lincoln Potts wore their custom made “CranioCaps,” that … READ MORE

« 1 2 3 »