Re: Intro/ Louisville Questions

July 25, 2002

Hi and welcome to our group!

We're so happy you have found us!

You are right, the younger you begin a helmet or a band on your child

to correct plagio, the better. I disagree with Drs when they say you

should way til after 6 mos., but so many do. Also, even if you were

to wait til your son was 10 mos of age, you could still get good

correction with a band. But that's your decision to make.

8 mos is a great age to begin helmet therapy. Do you know what type

of band or helmet you would be getting? It sounds like it would most

likely be a STARband, made by Orthomerica but shipped to the

orthotist at your local hospital/clinic to treat. It might also be a

locally made helmet. It sounds like you've researched plagio

thoroughly - you gave a great description of your son's head shape

and assymetries - so you must be very well educated! That is

terrific.

The casting process is no fun, but it is short (usually 10-15 mins)

and totally painless. The child usually gets very ticked off becuz

they are being held down and usually have something

covering/protecting their eyes. ONce the cast is done, the baby

usually returns to their happy self w/i minutes! Some babies

actually don't mind the casting one bit, those are rare though! My

daughter went thru 4 castings in all, they weren't fun, but she

recovered fast (faster than mom did!).

Also, it is quite rare for babies not to tolerate their helmet well.

My daughter didn't care for one second she was wearing her band. She

began her treatment at 8 mos - I found it to be very helpful &

protective as she was learning to crawl & walk!

Good lcuk with your appt and your difficult decision! Please keep us

updated & welcome again!

Debbie Abby's mom DOCGrad

MI

> Hi all,

>

> My son has been diagnosed with " moderate " positional plagio. Our

ped

> referred us to a local neurosurgeon and he is recommending helmet

> therapy, and he said that as my son is 8 months old, we are right

in

> the middle of the " window of opportunity " to get a helmet; he said

> that before 6 mo, the bones are too soft, and after 10 mo, the

bones

> begin to get too hard. This does not seem to be what I've been

> reading online, although all sources do say the earlier the better.

>

> He also said that it is unlikely the plagio will correct itself on

> it's own by this point. It is noticable, especially if you are

> looking for it; he always has a preference to sleep on the right

side

> of his head, and so he is flattened on the right and has a kind of

> bulge on the left.

>

> Facial assymetry: is just barely noticable unless you put him in

> front of a mirror and then it's fairly evident.

>

> We can have an appointment to get a helmet cast on Monday if we

want

> it. I want to know if anybody here has any experience with

> Neurosurgical Institute of Kentucky and/or the Center for Orthotic

> and Prosthetic Care. We are near Louisville, IN. I have looked at

the

> Cranial Tech site and it is impossible for us to make the necessary

> travel for a DOC Band.

>

> I am so undecided as to what to do. On the one hand, my son has a

> beautiful adorable face. On the other hand, his cranial vault IS

> misshapen and I'm afraid that it won't correct itself, even though

> there are many sources that say it will. I am so reluctant to put

my

> sweet baby through the casting process and having to wear a

helmet...

> I'm tempted to play wait and see for a while, but time is running

out.

>

> Thanks for any input others may have. I'm sorry that I don't have

> much time (full time working ma) to really search the archives for

> more information... has a lousy search function.

July 25, 2002

Hi and welcome to the group!

It sounds like your ped and specialist are right on top of thngs when

it comes to plagio. You are very fortunate, so many members here

have to kick and scream for their doctors to pay them any attention.

I would say though, that the window of opportunity is a bit wider

than your specialist says. The correction may come slower after a

certain age, but you will receive correction even after 10

months...the bones won't be too hard.

I'm not from your area, so I can't give you any insight. I just

wanted to wish you luck with whatever it is you decide! Good luck,

and keep us posted!

Niki

Kaylie & Danny (STAR grads)

Phila., PA