torticollis/plagio.

My twins will be 4 mo old on Oct 27. At their 2 month appt - they noticed that my DD had signs of mild torticollis and she was evaluated and started to receive PT right before she turned 3 mo. THey said it is mild and should be solved in 3-6 months.

My DS they said he was looking better since it appeared his flat spot was moving more toward the center of his head and he had great range of motion so they said he did not need to be evaluated.

However, I asked my DD PT whether or not I should be concerned with the flatness of his head - his head is way MORE flat that my DD and she said it should still be of concern even if the flat spot is moving towards the center and he may still benefit from PT. So, I am calling today to get him evaluated.

THen, the PT said maybe we would want to call to get their heads measured since my DS in particular might benefit from a helmet and the sooner you get them the better it works. She said she thinks my DD probably does not need it but to get her checked out since we will be there anyway.

SO, my questions are:

Did anyone have to get helmets for their children?

Did it help?

At what age - did they get them?

Were they bothered by it?

Lastly, was anyone able to prevent having to get helmets by doing stuff at home?


TIA - I was a little surprised today by this recommendation. But if they need them, I think I will get it fo rthem. THANK YOU for any advice or info you can give me!!!!

 

QUOTE(vweaver @ Oct 10 2007, 08:58 AM) [snapback]444051[/snapback]
SO, my questions are:

Did anyone have to get helmets for their children?
Yup...Jonthan's got his helmet now. He's had it for about 7 weeks now.

Did it help?
It's helped tremendously already. I can tell a difference!

At what age - did they get them?
7 months, 2 weeks-ish

Were they bothered by it?
Not at all! We needed to take him back a few days after he got it for a little adjustment, but he's been fine every since.

Lastly, was anyone able to prevent having to get helmets by doing stuff at home?
I tried a lot of stuff...repositioning, TONS of tummy time, exersaucer etc. Our pedi thought it could have been caused by him being a twin (being really squished in my belly) and especially that he was "Baby A." I read there are a higher rate of A's with plagio than B's.
TIA - I was a little surprised today by this recommendation. But if they need them, I think I will get it fo rthem. THANK YOU for any advice or info you can give me!!!!

 

My Baby B has the same problem and he is 4 months. We've been working on the movement of his head and hoping it corrects itself. We have our 4 month checkup next week so we'll see if the pediatrician recommends a helmet.

I did recently buy the Baby Einstein turtle/crib toy and mounted it on his crib in the direction that he never turns his head. We also prop a rolled up blanket underneath him so he's turned in that direction. He watches the toy and falls asleep in that direction. Although we haven't noticed a difference in the flat spot yet, he has come a long way as far as turning his head in that direction. He also has gotten a lot better about tummy time and is now able to hold up his head for longer periods of time.

Sorry I don't have much info about the helmet.

 

I always say, if there is a question seek out a specialist. There can only be two outcomes, one is that everything is fine so you get peace of mind, the second is that treatment is needed and options can be discussed. Both to me are win win situations.

I have shared our Plagio story here on TS, you can find it at this link. I know people often don't like to cllick on links in posts but I do believe I have alot of great information there so when you have a moment please do check it out.

Yes, Kyle wore a helmet.

Yes, it helped amazingly!!! We got just about 100% correction!

Kyle was 4 months old.

He adjusted just fine and actually slept better with it than he did without it.

I have shared some suggestions in my link and yes, there are definitely times when positioning is enough to correct flatness. There are also times when it is not. That is why I would suggest seeing someone to get a measurement. What you want to know is the difference between the roundest part and the flatest part. Kyle was 17mm and insurance covered anything over 11mm.

I am happy to answer any other specific questions you may have. Feel free to PM me anytime.

 

QUOTE(kj2racing @ Oct 10 2007, 05:42 PM) [snapback]444250[/snapback]
I always say, if there is a question seek out a specialist. There can only be two outcomes, one is that everything is fine so you get peace of mind, the second is that treatment is needed and options can be discussed. Both to me are win win situations.

I have shared our Plagio story here on TS, you can find it at this link. I know people often don't like to cllick on links in posts but I do believe I have alot of great information there so when you have a moment please do check it out.

Yes, Kyle wore a helmet.

Yes, it helped amazingly!!! We got just about 100% correction!

Kyle was 4 months old.

He adjusted just fine and actually slept better with it than he did without it.

I have shared some suggestions in my link and yes, there are definitely times when positioning is enough to correct flatness. There are also times when it is not. That is why I would suggest seeing someone to get a measurement. What you want to know is the difference between the roundest part and the flatest part. Kyle was 17mm and insurance covered anything over 11mm.

I am happy to answer any other specific questions you may have. Feel free to PM me anytime.


Thanks for putting up a link to your success story. I checked my sons alignment of his ears when he got up from his nap and his right ear sits about an inch further forward than his left. We'll definitely get it checked out. Glad to hear that you had success with the helmet!

 

the pedi noticed a little flatness with Kellen's head at his 4 month appt. - very mild - so mild she didn't think we needed a specialist or anything. Since then, we've been really good at positioning his head on the other side and putting him in his bumbo seat, jumper, and exersaucer more often. We also got him a sleep positioner to try to keep him in the same spot while he sleeps. DH and i both independently noticed a difference the other day - we think it's all helping. It's only been a month, of course, but still, we're hoping to avoid getting him a helmet (though I understand it's really not a big deal if he ends up needing it).

 

Did anyone have to get helmets for their children?

Evan and James received their helmets on Friday. They are seven months old. For us, helmets were a last resort. We did see improvement in their head shapes between four and seven months, but not enough to help me sleep at night withouth worrying that they might not get dates as teenagers.

Did it help?
It's too early to tell, but Evan is very comfortable in his helmet already. The first day he wore it to play, the next day for play and naps, and then the next day play, naps, and bedtime. He's usually a sensitive little guy but he's adapting to the helmet like a wonder baby! James' helmet is less comfortable - it falls low on his forehead. He hates it and we're having a hard time transitioning him to full-time wear.

At what age - did they get them?
Seven months. I first spoke to the doc about it at 3 months but she brushed me off. At 4 months I started to get really worried and insisted on a referral to a specialist. Evan also started receiving physio.

Were they bothered by it?
See above.

Lastly, was anyone able to prevent having to get helmets by doing stuff at home?
From birth to three months I tried my best with re-positioning, promoting tummy time, putting interesting things on their non-preferred sides, etc. At four months I started going crazy with the tummy time, exersaucers, jolly jumper, etc. - they have been off of their heads 95% of their awake time since 4 months. Plus I use sleep positioners at night and we set the alarm to go in a re-position them throughout the night. This has been my full-time job for months. Yes, we did see improvement. But Evan's ears are misalligned and James' flat spot is pretty obvious. They both fall into the "moderate" category.

Please PM me if you want any more info. Helmets are a big committment but I'm hoping they'll work for us. You can read more about my experience on my blog (see my sig below).

 

Thank you for all your information and replies. I am going to make my appointment tomorrow morning for the twins to get their heads measured so we know what we are dealing with as far as helmets go.

A lot of you talked about repositioning your babies during sleep. How did you do that during night time? My twins will be 4 months on Oct.27 - won't they just squirm out of a sleep positioner?

Thank you again for any info you can give me!!

 

Did anyone have to get helmets for their children?
Yes. I just got one for my son. He just turned 4 months. He was born with torticollis and quickly developed plagio before the pediatricians got on board with what I noticed. Be weary of hearing that it will fix itself or that not everyone has symmetrical ears. If you don't address the torticollis, the plagio will not get better. I took my son to a chiropractor that specializes in infants (I took some heat from the pediatrician about this) and with just one adjustment my son turned his head to the other side that same night. A chiropractor will use a tool called an Activator and it will realign the vertebra at the top of the spine that will allow the nerves to control the muscle properly. It does not hurt and it doesn't involve any cracking or twisting which is what you might think of when you hear chiropractor. I had never been to one before this so I was skeptical and anxious about making the right decisions and I am so glad I did. His head began to improve dramatically. But at the time we started with the chiro we also started the ball rolling on the helmet, knowing it would take a while to get it. We still visit the chiro once a week.

Did it help?/Were they bothered by it?
Jack has been wearing the helmet for 10 days now and we're not even up to the the recommended 23 hours a day. There is a huge improvement! The back of his head is now where it supposed to be and now the side of his forhead is filling out. I can;t wait to see the ears move! That is what I've been most worried about and feared that maybe they wouldn't realign without the help of the helmet. He has a hard time adjusting to it, especially at night, but things have just got better and he's been sleeping more soundly. You may have do what I did at first- I folded a quilt and placed it under him from the shoulders down to sort of make him more level with the added helmet. Now he sleeps without the quilt.

Lastly, was anyone able to prevent having to get helmets by doing stuff at home?
I think that things would continue to "shape" up without the helmet now that his torticollis is under control. But I was still concerned about the ears so when the insurance said they would cover it, we decided it would be best. If your son gets it now, the rate of progress is much quicker than if you wait. He may only need it 4 weeks now as opposed to 4 months later. I go to Cranial Technologies. I've spoken with other parents in the waiting room there who have gone to Cranial Tech for their second helmet because elsewhere didn't work for their child.

 

Did anyone have to get helmets for their children?

Both of mine wore helmets.

Did it help?

Yes, significant improvement.

At what age - did they get them?

We started the process at 6 months, they had the helmets on just before 7 months. At this late age, they wore the helmets for 7 months. I wish we had started at 4 months.

Were they bothered by it?

Not at all.

Lastly, was anyone able to prevent having to get helmets by doing stuff at home?

We tried EVERYTHING. They wiggled out of sleep positioners, they wiggled off of rolled blankets, and they would stare at a blank wall rather than turning to the non-favored side to see a toy. We were able to correct the torticollis with stretching exercises but the damage was already done. Sometimes you do everything right and they still need helmets.