Ever Seen an Infant in a Helmet? Here’s Why

Posted by shorthillscranialcenter on January 14th, 2021

When your child is diagnosed with severe plagiocephaly, craniosynostosis, or scaphocephaly, you may be left wondering about the treatment options available. In most cases where repositioning and physical therapy have proven ineffective, orthotic helmets are prescribed. At this post, we will review which conditions can be treated with such helmets.

Babies can neither ride bikes nor can play contact sports, then why do they sometimes wear helmets? They are likely doing helmet therapy that is also known as a cranial orthosis. This is a method for treating unusual and/or abnormal head shapes in babies such as craniosynostosis or plagiocephaly. While the adult skull is hard, a baby’s skull is made up of several flexible plates with soft spots (fontanels) and ridges (sutures) where their cranial bones have not fused together yet. As a result of their softer skulls, babies can develop abnormally shaped heads. And in some cases, they might need a helmet like cranial helmets for infants in New Jerseyto correct the shape of their head and avoid future health issues.

What conditions does it treat? : Plagiocephaly: Plagiocephaly is not dangerous to a baby’s brain or development. It is not painful either. Plagiocephaly tends to happen when babies spend a lot of time in one position. The condition often does not cause any symptoms other than making one side of the head appear flattened.A doctor might recommend a helmet for babies around the age of 6 to 8 months who have not responded to other treatments.

Craniosynostosis: Craniosynostosis is a condition that occurs when a baby’s cranial bones fuse together too soon, which can restrict brain growth and cause an unusual skull shape as the brain endeavors to grow in a constricted area.Symptoms include the uneven shape of the skull, abnormal or missing fontanel on the top of the baby’s head, abnormal growth of the baby’s head, and a hard edge along the suture that has closed too early.Based on the type of craniosynostosis, other symptoms may also include headaches, narrow or wide eye sockets, learning disabilities, and vision loss. Craniosynostosis treatment in New Jerseyalmost always requires surgical procedures followed by helmet therapy.

So, if your baby is suffering from any of these issues, helmet therapy is a treatment method that can help to reshape your baby’s head, especially if physical therapy and frequently changing a baby’s position did not do the trick.