Willow’s Plagiocephaly Helmet Treatment
Donation protected
As Willow’s mother I am trying to raise funds to help give her the treatment she needs for a diagnosed condition that the NHS won't fund. Willow is a lovely happy 7 month old baby girl who has thrived since she has been born.
Willow was referred to a specialist who diagnosed her with flat head sydrome, type Plagiocephaly and Brachycephaly. The NHS have refused to fund the treatment option of having a helmet made to reshape her skull shape due to being in 1.4 billion pound deficit in our area and also due to them classing it as cosmetic at the moment. My only option to prevent any future surgery which would have major risks and to reshape Willow’s head shape is to have private treatment.
A clinic in Cardiff called Align Clinic provides specialist treatment which involves 3d scans to help make the bespoke helmet, measurement charts and monthly consultations. The clinic feel they can get Willow’s head shape from severe catagory to moderate to mild within 6 to 8 months with the treatment. The treatment cost £1950 and I am trying to raise money to support in paying for this treatment. The treatment needs carrying out asap as the clinic do not see significant results after a child is 14 months and have recommended Willow would need 6 to 8 months of treatment with the helmet. This means she needs to start treatment asap for the best results due to her being 7 months old already.
Any contributions and support would be really appreciated to help my little girl immediately. Thank you for reading
Emily Leach
xxx
What is plagiocephaly?
Plagiocephaly is the medical term used to describe a common condition in which one side of an infant’s skull is significantly flatter than the other. It is often grouped under the better-known umbrella term of ‘flat head syndrome’ along with brachycephaly. Clinical reports estimate that the condition may affect as many as one in two infants.
Babies are born with soft, impressionable skulls to aid passage through the birth canal and accommodate the rapid growth that occurs in the brain during the first few years of life. When infants spend a lot of time sleeping with their heads in the same position, a positional plagiocephaly can develop as a result of the external pressures being exerted on the skull.
In most cases, the early signs of positional plagiocephaly are detected by parents or grandparents and the condition is reversed by repositioning the head away from the flattening as the baby plays, feeds and sleeps. Babies must always be placed on the back to sleep to minimise the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).
Some infants with a flattening will need more targeted intervention to release tight muscles (torticollis) and enable use of the full range of motion in the neck, and this can be achieved through physiotherapy or osteopathy.
Repositioning will return the head to a more normal shape in roughly three out of four cases. Where this fails, a custom-moulded helmet can be used to achieve a complete correction in around 95 percent of cases.
Helmet therapy for plagiocephaly
Helmet therapy works by applying a gentle, continuous pressure to your baby’s developing skull throughout the day to promote even growth. This does not hurt, and once your baby gets used to wearing this new piece of clothing, it will not interfere with her everyday activities or ongoing development.
The helmet is made from light foam with a semi flexible shell and moulded to an accurate photographic scan of your baby’s head shape. It is adjusted every so often to direct the growth into the required areas.
Treatment efficacy depends on the age of the infant and the severity of the plagiocephaly, but in most cases, the helmet must be worn for around five months in order to achieve the best possible results.
Benefits of a plagiocephaly helmet
Plagiocephaly helmets carry several benefits. First and foremost, they are the only treatment that has been clinically proven to help infants achieve a more symmetrical head shape and therefore more symmetrical facial features.
Some people disagree with helmet therapy on the grounds that plagiocephaly is ‘only’ a cosmetic condition and should be left in nature’s hands. However, when one considers the pressure on individuals and particularly children in our society to blend in with the crowd, the need to look and feel ‘normal’ becomes more apparent, not for reasons of vanity but in the interests of healthy emotional and social development.
Having undergone treatment, children will be able to style their hair as they wish without feeling the need to cover up. Growing up, they will be better placed to participate in sports, activities and employment for which protective headgear is required.
It has even been speculated that helmet therapy may reduce the risk of developing certain disorders associated with craniofacial asymmetry later in life. For example, misalignment of the jaw, a common knock-on effect of plagiocephaly, can later go on to cause temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJ), which itself is associated with severe pain and speech disorders in its adult sufferers.
In short, helmet treatment can help babies with plagiocephaly to grow into the happy, healthy children that they deserve to be.
Thankyou for taking the time to read we will keep you all updated xx infants with a flattening will need more targeted intervention to release tight muscles (torticollis) and enable use of the full range of motion in the neck, and this can be achieved through physiotherapy or osteopathy.
Repositioning will return the head to a more normal shape in roughly three out of four cases. Where this fails, a custom-moulded helmet can be used to achieve a complete correction in around 95 percent of cases.
Willow was referred to a specialist who diagnosed her with flat head sydrome, type Plagiocephaly and Brachycephaly. The NHS have refused to fund the treatment option of having a helmet made to reshape her skull shape due to being in 1.4 billion pound deficit in our area and also due to them classing it as cosmetic at the moment. My only option to prevent any future surgery which would have major risks and to reshape Willow’s head shape is to have private treatment.
A clinic in Cardiff called Align Clinic provides specialist treatment which involves 3d scans to help make the bespoke helmet, measurement charts and monthly consultations. The clinic feel they can get Willow’s head shape from severe catagory to moderate to mild within 6 to 8 months with the treatment. The treatment cost £1950 and I am trying to raise money to support in paying for this treatment. The treatment needs carrying out asap as the clinic do not see significant results after a child is 14 months and have recommended Willow would need 6 to 8 months of treatment with the helmet. This means she needs to start treatment asap for the best results due to her being 7 months old already.
Any contributions and support would be really appreciated to help my little girl immediately. Thank you for reading
Emily Leach
xxx
What is plagiocephaly?
Plagiocephaly is the medical term used to describe a common condition in which one side of an infant’s skull is significantly flatter than the other. It is often grouped under the better-known umbrella term of ‘flat head syndrome’ along with brachycephaly. Clinical reports estimate that the condition may affect as many as one in two infants.
Babies are born with soft, impressionable skulls to aid passage through the birth canal and accommodate the rapid growth that occurs in the brain during the first few years of life. When infants spend a lot of time sleeping with their heads in the same position, a positional plagiocephaly can develop as a result of the external pressures being exerted on the skull.
In most cases, the early signs of positional plagiocephaly are detected by parents or grandparents and the condition is reversed by repositioning the head away from the flattening as the baby plays, feeds and sleeps. Babies must always be placed on the back to sleep to minimise the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).
Some infants with a flattening will need more targeted intervention to release tight muscles (torticollis) and enable use of the full range of motion in the neck, and this can be achieved through physiotherapy or osteopathy.
Repositioning will return the head to a more normal shape in roughly three out of four cases. Where this fails, a custom-moulded helmet can be used to achieve a complete correction in around 95 percent of cases.
Helmet therapy for plagiocephaly
Helmet therapy works by applying a gentle, continuous pressure to your baby’s developing skull throughout the day to promote even growth. This does not hurt, and once your baby gets used to wearing this new piece of clothing, it will not interfere with her everyday activities or ongoing development.
The helmet is made from light foam with a semi flexible shell and moulded to an accurate photographic scan of your baby’s head shape. It is adjusted every so often to direct the growth into the required areas.
Treatment efficacy depends on the age of the infant and the severity of the plagiocephaly, but in most cases, the helmet must be worn for around five months in order to achieve the best possible results.
Benefits of a plagiocephaly helmet
Plagiocephaly helmets carry several benefits. First and foremost, they are the only treatment that has been clinically proven to help infants achieve a more symmetrical head shape and therefore more symmetrical facial features.
Some people disagree with helmet therapy on the grounds that plagiocephaly is ‘only’ a cosmetic condition and should be left in nature’s hands. However, when one considers the pressure on individuals and particularly children in our society to blend in with the crowd, the need to look and feel ‘normal’ becomes more apparent, not for reasons of vanity but in the interests of healthy emotional and social development.
Having undergone treatment, children will be able to style their hair as they wish without feeling the need to cover up. Growing up, they will be better placed to participate in sports, activities and employment for which protective headgear is required.
It has even been speculated that helmet therapy may reduce the risk of developing certain disorders associated with craniofacial asymmetry later in life. For example, misalignment of the jaw, a common knock-on effect of plagiocephaly, can later go on to cause temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJ), which itself is associated with severe pain and speech disorders in its adult sufferers.
In short, helmet treatment can help babies with plagiocephaly to grow into the happy, healthy children that they deserve to be.
Thankyou for taking the time to read we will keep you all updated xx infants with a flattening will need more targeted intervention to release tight muscles (torticollis) and enable use of the full range of motion in the neck, and this can be achieved through physiotherapy or osteopathy.
Repositioning will return the head to a more normal shape in roughly three out of four cases. Where this fails, a custom-moulded helmet can be used to achieve a complete correction in around 95 percent of cases.
Organizer
Emily Leach
Organizer