Your child will remain in treatment until the desired head shape has been achieved and there is no longer any risk of the flat spot returning, or until about twelve months of age.If needed, slight changes will be made to the helmet to continue reshaping the head. Every two weeks, you’ll come in for a follow-up appointment to review progress.This ensures the best possible correction. After a short break in-period of a couple of days the child will – wear the helmet full time.We will also answer any additional questions you may have. At this appointment the new helmet will be fitted to your child and you’ll receive information for how to use and care for the helmet. Two weeks after the scan you’ll attend a fitting appointment.You can even choose a custom design and colour for the helmet! The scan gives us a better idea of your child’s head shape, and will be used to develop the helmet. A scan of your child’s head shape will be captured using a special digital scanner.Once a decision has been made to treat with a helmet the following steps will occur: What should I expect once we’ve decided to have a helmet made? This is very hard news to deliver, so we recommend parents inquire with their family doctor when they start to notice a problem, and request a referral to a certified orthotist as early as possible. I have sadly had to tell some families that it is too late for a helmet to reshape their child’s head because they waited too long to be referred for assessment. It is always best to start asking questions early. We recommend this age because the head grows quickly between the ages of 4 months to 7 months, and this is when we see the best correction occurring with the use of a helmet. This normally occurs round the age of 4 months. The best time to begin treatment with a corrective helmet is once a child has developed good head control. Scroll down to see before and after scans! When is the best time to start exploring a helmet as an option? The lining of the helmet is also designed to better distribute pressure along the bones of the skull. As the brain grows, the skull will expand into the flattened areas to fill out the space in the helmet. These custom helmets are shaped to limit growth on the side of the skull that is overdeveloped and encourage growth on the side of the skull that is underdeveloped. Your healthcare provider can help you determine the degree of misshape your baby has developed. If your infant has moderate to severe misshape, you should consider possible treatment with a helmet. Infants with a very mild to moderate misshape can benefit from conservative treatments like repositioning of the head from left to right during sleep, using a repositioning pillow, and increasing tummy time. Infants who have developed a significantly misshapen head may benefit from the use of a helmet to correct the shape. Some babies don’t adjust their position during sleep, and the part of their head that’s in contact with the mattress becomes flattened. Back sleeping has contributed to some of the misshapen heads that we are seeing. Infants’ heads are still very soft and easily influenced by prolonged pressure in one area. It encourages parents to have their children sleep on their backs on a very firm mattress to help reduce the risk of SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome). We started to notice an increase in flat spots on infants’ heads in the early 90s when the “Back to Sleep” program was first introduced. What causes babies to develop a flat spot on their heads? He shares answers to some of the most common questions he receives. Certified Orthotist, Michael Hall, specializes in assessing and correcting plagiocephaly. This team creates custom helmets to help remold the skill skull when it has grown unevenly. Hamilton Health Sciences’ Prosthetics & Orthotics Program is one of Canada’s largest providers of treatment for this condition. While it isn’t rare, most people know very little about it. The condition is known as flat head syndrome or plagiocephaly. There are a variety of reasons for this, but the most common is to correct a misshapen head. You’ve probably noticed a baby wearing a helmet at some point in your life. Health Tips Treating flat head syndrome with a helmet
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