
Practical difficulties in sport and everyday life can affect adults with plagiocephaly, as some are unable to wear many types of protective headwear for sports such as cycling and rock climbing. Although this study did not establish a causal relationship, it does indicate a need for greater developmental surveillance. Developmental DelaysĪ study investigating the development in toddlers with and without deformational plagiocephaly (DP) found that toddlers with DP scored lower on all sections of the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development, Third Edition when compared with unaffected, demographically similar toddlers. These include its physical, developmental and psychological impacts, which can become more apparent as infants age and when treatment is too late.įor parents and carers searching for information regarding untreated moderate and severe plagiocephaly, we have collated the following potential implications: 1. In recent years, more research has appeared surrounding plagiocephaly and its long-term effects. Additionally, this summary provided by the NHS does not recognise the practical, developmental and psychological implications of untreated plagiocephaly. Many children, and indeed as they grow into adults, have fine or short hair, in which case a misshapen head cannot be hidden by hair growth. However, our experience and feedback from parents inform us that this isn’t quite so simple.

What Happens If You Don’t Treat Plagiocephaly?Īccording to official NHS advice, untreated plagiocephaly will ‘usually improve’ over time, advising parents that, ‘your baby’s head may not return to a completely perfect shape, but by the time they’re one or two years old, any flattening will be barely noticeable’, and, ‘the appearance of your child’s head should improve as they become more mobile and their hair grows’. The following question is something that many parents ask when deciding whether to go ahead with treatment for their baby or not… In our ongoing pursuit to offer patients and carers a wealth of advice, information and research on plagiocephaly, we are addressing one of the biggest questions that parents ask us on a daily basis. Unfortunately, plagiocephaly in adults and older children cannot be treated with a helmet, and we are left having to give this disappointing news to parents and adults with the condition. Despite this, the number of enquiries we receive from adults and parents of older children regarding plagiocephaly treatment is always on the rise.

The condition of flat head syndrome is most often identified in babies, but the topic of flat head syndrome in adults is something less often spoken about.
