Amelia’s plagiocephaly journey

Amelia was born five weeks premature. At about four weeks, her parents Graeme and Polly became concerned about her head shape. They spoke to their GP at the six-week check, and they were advised that it was nothing to be concerned about but to come back when Amelia was around three months old to review it.

They were concerned that Amelia was mainly sleeping with her head turned to the left and early on they found repositioning difficult as she would wake when she was moved. They returned to the GP at about three months, and again, he said it was fine and not to worry. Amelia’s parents were not pleased with this advice and requested a second opinion from another GP.

This GP identified tightness in Amelia’s neck, and she was referred to an NHS physiotherapist for neck stretching exercises. They were also referred to a paediatrician who told them that Amelia’s flat head was purely a cosmetic problem. In the meantime, they also saw an osteopath to help with her neck tightness. The osteopath they saw happened to be an ex-midwife. She said that Amelia’s flat head was quite a common condition called plagiocephaly, and if they were concerned, they should consider looking at cranial remoulding helmets. Graeme and Polly hit the internet and discovered the London Orthotic Consultancy.

Amelia was assessed by Jo Drake, Head of Plagiocephaly and lead Craniosynostosis clinician at LOC in October last year, Amelia was seven months old. Graeme recalls: “Jo was very matter-of-fact. Yes, your daughter does have severe plagiocephaly (flat head syndrome), but we can make a significant improvement. We decided to go ahead with the flat head syndrome treatment on the spot, so scans were taken there and then. And they did show how misshapen Amelia’s head was.”

Amelia’s cranial vault asymmetry was 19mm; this measurement compares the right and left diagonals at 30 degrees from the centre of the head (front to back) and subtracting one from the other gives the asymmetry value. Less than 6mm is regarded as being within the normal range of head shape; anything over 12mm is considered severe. Amelia’s bespoke cranial remoulding helmet, the LOCband Lite, was fitted two weeks later.

Polly says: “Amelia had no problems with her helmet, quickly getting used to it. In fact, she soon learnt that she could fall over with impunity while wearing it as the helmet protected her head! We had no problems with marks on her head either, but we did find we needed to adjust the band because it would rotate and slip. With her head shape, there seemed to be a very fine balance to maintain it in position to re-shape her head. Of course, Jo adjusted it at every review appointment as well. And we were able to see the improvements in Amelia’s head shape at those frequent reviews.”

At discharge, Amelia’s asymmetry had been reduced to 9mm. Graeme and Polly reflect: “Our only regret is that we did not start treatment earlier. But we are very happy with the outcome. We said to each other at the beginning of treatment: ‘Anything below 10mm will be fine.’ It’s odd now to remember that we were also concerned about what other people would say when they saw Amelia in her helmet. Instead, a lot of parents came up to us and said: “Our son/daughter had one of those. Best decision we ever made.”

If you’re worried about your baby’s head shape, get in touch today. You can fill out our free flat head diagnosis form or, to book a free consultation with an orthotist, contact us.