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Plagiocephaly Assessment and Management

With the recommendation of “back to sleep” and infants spending more time in equipment, plagiocephaly (or flat head syndrome) is becoming increasingly common.  Sometimes this starts even in utero and is made worse as lying on the flat spot becomes the infant’s preferred position.  The paediatric physiotherapists at Action Potential Rehabilitation have specific training and experience in treating infants with Torticollis and Plagiocephaly and are here to help you.

Typically, the earlier the intervention, the easier it is to make changes, and the better the outcome for your baby.  The time to start physiotherapy is as soon as you or your physician have a concern about a flat spot or head tilt – even as young as newborns.  The dangers of leaving this condition untreated is that it can worsen as your child grows.  Left untreated, a flat head can result in assymetrical facial features, visual issues, challenges with fitting sports helmets, and insufficient thickness of the skull at the back of the head, leaving the brain vulterable to injury.

Your baby’s physiotherapist will use a device to measure their head shape and will provide suggestions for positioning and carrying your baby, and promoting full movement of the neck and head.  This will help round out the skull’s shape.  Regular monitoring will help determine if a plagiocephaly helmet would be indicated as a supplementary treatment.