Plagiocephaly

chicagobride_07

DD was diagnosed with this. We've been in PT for a month now, pedi does not see improvement and says it is getting worse. We will likely need to consider a helmet in a month or two if things don't get better, For those who have dealt with this, at what age did you get the helmet for your LO? Also, I am told the scans for head evaluation and the helmet itself are very expensive. I called my insurance to see if this would be covered and the rep had no idea what I was talking about. They asked for billing codes. How did you deal with verifying your insurance coverage for this service? TIA!

kelly422

I haven't had to deal with this personally, but one of my friends needed a helmet for his LO and this is the company he went through.  This website may just give you more info/billing information so you can check with your insurance:

https://www.shieldsop.com/Services/cro.html

Missa_g

My oldest twin wore a DOC band from 8 to 12m actual. The earlier the better but we went off of adjusted age and when he was able to sit unsupported. Your doctor will likely refer you to a neurologist and then they will refer you to the company if they feel a helmet is needed. Without insurance they cost between $2,000 and $5,000 depending on the company. I fought for three months to get ours coverd. Check out your master plan of benefits. I'm very happy we went with the helmet, my son's head is so much more round and his ears are in alignment. It was nbd for him to wear and didn't effect his sleep or development at all.

chicagobride_07

Thanks, cute pic of him in your siggy!

hmms

My DS wore a helmet starting at 5 months and wore it for 10 weeks. Our insurance did not cover it (claimed it was cosmetic), we paid a little over $2000 (this was nearly 5 years ago), I think the brand was Starband, we went through the Mayo clinic in Rochester, MN.

Mrs. Alice

My twins wore helmets starting at 6/7 months old for 6 weeks.  We went through Cranial Technologies and used the DOC band.  I believe they do consultations free of charge.  For us, it was covered 100% by Medicaid and our private insurance did pay out about 50% too.  We were told in order for it to be covered it the severity had to meet certain criteria, for instance they had to have a certain amount of asymmetry.  I never had to deal the insurance company on this, Cranial Tech handled everything.  We did have to wait almost a month to get approval after our first consultation appointment.

tyresec

I have a follow up question to this, but what kind of head shape did your baby have when/if he/she wore a helmet?  One of my twins has a "pronounced" flat head, according to his pediatrician, but it is the exact back of his head...not the side...basically it is as if his back just continues on upward to the top of his head, that is how flat it is.  Is this something that a helmet may be able to help correct?  The pediatrician keeps saying that it will round out, esp. now that he is sitting up more, but I've seen no change.

Missa_g

tyresec said:

I have a follow up question to this, but what kind of head shape did your baby have when/if he/she wore a helmet?  One of my twins has a "pronounced" flat head, according to his pediatrician, but it is the exact back of his head...not the side...basically it is as if his back just continues on upward to the top of his head, that is how flat it is.  Is this something that a helmet may be able to help correct?  The pediatrician keeps saying that it will round out, esp. now that he is sitting up more, but I've seen no change.

My son's flat spot was on the right side and towards the back. I believe back flatness is called brachiocephaly? A helmet can treat both brachio and plagiocephaly. If you're concerned don't hesitate to get a second opinion, especially if your child is sitting unassisted and you are not seeing a change.

Mrs. Alice

Missa_g said:

I have a follow up question to this, but what kind of head shape did your baby have when/if he/she wore a helmet?  One of my twins has a "pronounced" flat head, according to his pediatrician, but it is the exact back of his head...not the side...basically it is as if his back just continues on upward to the top of his head, that is how flat it is.  Is this something that a helmet may be able to help correct?  The pediatrician keeps saying that it will round out, esp. now that he is sitting up more, but I've seen no change.

My son's flat spot was on the right side and towards the back. I believe back flatness is called brachiocephaly? A helmet can treat both brachio and plagiocephaly. If you're concerned don't hesitate to get a second opinion, especially if your child is sitting unassisted and you are not seeing a change.

Yes it's brachycephaly.  One of my twins had this and one more plagio.  They both had helmets to treat it. 

hmms

My DS was back-right side flatness, our pedi watched it from 2-4 months, we tried repositioning, but he'd always go right back to that spot - thus the helmet. The silver lining, we didn't have to be so diligent as the helmet prevented that constant pressure on the flat spot. We did PT for some slight neck tightness (torticollis).

lhuttlinger

My dd wore one from 6 months-8 months (4-6 adjusted) and I wished we had Waited a little bit longer. She wasn't sitting up yet by the time she had outgrown it and I wish she was mobile or at least sleeping in her belly by the time she was finished with it.