Plagiocephaly is a form of ‘flat head syndrome’, where your baby has an asymmetry of the head shape. Typically one side of the head is flatter than the other. ‘Plagio’ comes from the Greek, meaning ‘slanting’ or ‘oblique’. At about eight weeks of age, you may notice that your baby’s head seems slightly wide, that an ear is pushed forward on one side or that the brow is more prominent on one side.
Although it may seem scary at first, if the condition is caught and addressed early on its symptoms can be reduced very effectively. The main signs and symptoms of plagiocephaly include:
- An asymmetrical head shape, developed in early infancy.
- A flattening of one part of the skull, usually at the side and towards the back of the head.
- Further flattening at the front of the head or face can occur as a secondary issue.
- Possible migration of the back part of the skull, with flattening across the midline.
Further symptoms in more serious cases include ear misalignment, where the ear on the flattened side is pushed forwards. This sometimes feeds through into the cheek and brow, compressing and shortening one side of the cheek in comparison to the other. Classifying plagiocephaly will provide you with a primary indication of understanding how severe the derformity is. Noticing key indicators in your baby in the earliest stages is vital as the treatment we offer will be much more successful.
If you would like to know more about our range of treatments prior to a consultation then visit our plagiocephaly treatment page. This provides you with all our non-invasive treatments including ‘tummy time’, a repositioning technique we usually recommend in babies under four months old and our plagiocephaly helmets which are a long term solution to your baby’s misshapen head. You can book a free consultation at any of our clinics in the UK where one of our specialists will assess your baby’s head shape and we won’t recommend treatment unless it’s necessary.
Our repositioning guide looks in more detail at the repositioning techniques we recommend to use in babies under 4 months old. This guide will help you improve your baby’s head shape before having to consider the TimBand. We offer a free, no obligation consultation of your baby’s needs and if we believe your baby requires a TimBand helmet, the total cost will be £2,025. Take a look at our TimBand prices and funding page to see a full breakdown of the total cost with lots of helpful advice to help you pay for your baby’s treatment through sponsorship and community fundraisers.
Plagiocephaly research is vital for both clinician and parent in understanding the full extent of the condition and its effect on baby. To help parents, Steve Mottram has compiled a selection of research papers all dedicated to improving the lives of babies with the condition. If you would like to read about our success stories, our plagiocephaly case studies is dedicated to the individual journeys of both parent and child who have benefitted from the treatment we offer. Or join our social community and read about parents’ first-hand experiences on our Facebook page.
If you have any questions, we would love to hear from you. Please call us on 0330 100 1800.