Expert / 5 July, 2023 / My Baba
Flat head syndrome is the umbrella time period for a flat head situation that may seem in infants and infants. The deformity could also be current at beginning or can develop into obvious through the first few months of an toddler’s life. Babies might be prone to a flat head as a consequence of their cranium remaining gentle and pliable within the earliest levels of their life. This pliability exists due to the a number of plates of bone that fuse collectively, being initially unfastened, however they steadily be part of as a baby will get older.
Flat head syndrome could cause your baby’s head to seem uneven or misshapen from above. The following are the medical phrases that describe the various kinds of flat head syndrome and their traits :
A deformation of the top marked by an indirect slant to the cranium floor, which is often along side the top. The most typical sort is known as positional plagiocephaly.
When a baby has a wider than regular head with a flattening throughout the again of the cranium. It is often a mix of brachycephaly and plagiocephaly, presenting as a large, uneven head form.
This is when a baby’s head is tilted to at least one facet, on account of the neck twisting to the identical facet. The baby may additionally have problem turning their head.
The head form will seem lengthy and skinny when wanting down from above. This sort of flathead syndrome is typically known as dolichocephaly.
This is a uncommon situation and happens when the joints (sutures) between the bone plates in a baby’s cranium stick collectively prematurely, that means the cranium is unable to develop correctly and the top types an uncommon form.
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What Causes Flat Head Syndrome?
Deformities can happen earlier than your baby is even born, which is known as positional moulding. The re-moulding of the cranium could happen within the uterus due to restricted house within the womb. This steadily happens in a number of births (twins or triplets) or people who require assisted supply (intrapartum moulding).
Deformities also can happen throughout beginning, because the baby travels via the beginning canal. Passage via the beginning canal could cause momentary cranial deformity and it is frequent for the baby to have an oddly-shaped head through the first few days or even weeks after beginning.
Some deformities enhance naturally through the very early months of an toddler’s life, with none want for remedy. The exception happens when the toddler is constantly positioned in a method that exerts stress on one explicit space of the top, turning a minor plagiocephalic deformity into a possible long-term downside that requires remedy.
Incidence of Flat Head Syndrome
The incidence of flat head syndrome is greater in infants which might be born prematurely as their heads are usually softer and extra susceptible to moulding.
Paediatricians have reported a rise within the variety of kids with cranial deformities lately, notably unilateral flattening of the occipital bone behind the top. This is usually attributed to the Back to Sleep marketing campaign, which has dramatically reduced the incidence of SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) however which with out sufficient care, can go away infants with everlasting head form deformities.
Parents ought to all the time place their infants on their backs when sleeping. However, through the day when an toddler is awake and their father or mother is with them, infants ought to spend at the least half of their waking hours with out stress on the again of the cranium, permitting it to reshape naturally. There are totally different methods that may be adopted as a way to attempt to assist your baby’s head form enhance safely, these are referred to as repositioning techniques.
Tummy time is probably the most generally identified repositioning approach, which entails inserting your baby on their tummy to play when awake and if you find yourself current. Not solely can this system assist to enhance a flat head, but it surely additionally helps the baby to develop their spinal extensors and hips, in addition to learn to prop their arms.
If no enchancment is seen by the age of 5 months after attempting numerous repositioning methods, additional treatment needs to be thought of within the type of corrective helmet remedy. Between the ages of 4-14 months is the best age for the sort of remedy, which will help to cut back the severity of the deformity.
Please remember that not all kinds of flat head syndrome might be handled utilizing helmet remedy; nevertheless, in case you are involved about your baby’s head form, then there are consultants on the market who will help and most supply free consultations.
Article by Jane Hunter, Chief Clinical Officer, Technology in Motion
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