Plagiocephaly, also known as “flat head syndrome,” is a condition which causes a baby’s head to be misshapen or have a flat spot.  Plagiocephaly, like most conditions, has a spectrum of severity.  Some children have mild plagiocephaly while others can have severe cranial distortions.  This condition can occur due to congenital causes (present at birth) or develop throughout infancy from positional or deformational causes (babies spend around 700 hours on their backs not including baby containers such as car seats and strollers). Statistically, over half of babies to some measure experience one of the two forms of Plagiocephaly; Congenital or Positional. 

No two babies are alike, and that includes head shape.  Plagiocephaly only becomes a concern when there are gross asymmetries in the child’s head.   Head shapes of babies may vary depending on how a baby is born and the positions they are in during their first few months of life. Babies’ skulls are softer at birth so that they can shift and move through the birthing process as needed, and most babies’ heads will return to a round shape shortly after birth.   As babies get older, they may begin to develop a flat spot on the back or side of the head. Because young babies can’t move around or sit up yet, laying in one position at all times can create this flat spot on the skull.  

With any of these head shape deformities there is often also a facial asymmetry. You may notice things such as; difference in eye height and shape, difference in ear position, difference in fullness of cheeks and lips, difference in the shape of the corner of the mouth and nose,  a prominence of the forehead. Your baby may also prefer to lay in one direction or you may notice that they do not look both ways evenly and there is a restriction or hesitancy when moving their neck. Plagiocephaly can also compromise brain function, leading to an under-functioning of the central nervous system and therefore decreased performance throughout the body (Citation).

The correcting plagiocephaly requires an understanding of the cranium, the different skull fontanels start to naturally solidify and come together. At 1-3 months the posterior fontanel closes, the sphenoidal and mastoid fontanels (side of skull) close around 6 months and lastly the anterior fontanel closes around 12-18 months.

Alternative treatments such as Craniosacral Therapy and Chiropractic care are effective, and can both treat and significantly improve Plagiocephaly.  These treatments assess your babies spine and cranial dural system, looking for any imbalances that may be present. Chiropractic care and Craniosacral Therapy for babies is extremely gentle, involving little adjustments using light finger pressure, no more than would be used to check the ripeness of a fruit.  

A subluxation occurs when one or more of the bones of the skull and spine (vertebrae) move out of position and create pressure on, or irritate spinal nerves. Between each of the bones in your spine are spinal nerves. This pressure or irritation on the nerves then causes malfunction and interferes with the signals traveling over those nerves.  When a vertebra subluxates, there is decreased motion in that joint. The decreased motion in the spine reduces a baby’s range of motion. When a vertebra in the cervical spine subluxates, the entire neck and head are affected. Mindful of this, if a baby cannot move their neck freely due to a subluxation, the baby will keep their head in a certain position for extended periods of time, thus contributing to plagiocephaly.

Hence removing any subluxations in the head and spine through specific Craniosacral Therapy treatments and or Chiropractic Adjustments, the baby’s head is given a chance to realign misalignment and diminish Plagiocephaly.   Please reach us if we may be of help to you.

About Dr. Kaminsky

Alex was born in March 1972. At the age of 7 he started to experience frequent headaches with all the conventional symptoms of a Migraine headache. His particular headache resulted in him experiencing auras, nausea and sensitivity to light with no particular trigger to the onset of the migraine.

After years of treatments, therapies and medications, his headaches were no better and Alex continued to experience them all throughout childhood and into young adulthood. Some years the headaches would come monthly, some years every two to three months and some years weekly. His headaches were incurable, there was nothing that could alleviate the symptoms and head pain. Until he experienced cranial manual therapy, which resulted in the complete eradication of his life-long Migraine Headaches.

At the age of 16 Alex noticed a mild deformity in the right side of his ribs, a slightly lower right shoulder and the experience of constant lower back pain. Although mild, a diagnosis of Idiopathic Adolescent Scoliosis had been labeled.

At the age of 18 he was involved in a serious car accident that exacerbated his lower back pain. Throughout the years Alex had tried a multitude of conventional treatments but continued to suffer on and off with lower back pain, even throughout Chiropractic school and beyond.

In 2015 and fifteen+ years out of Chiropractic school, Dr. Kaminsky participated in his first and life changing Craniosacral Therapy seminar and he was fascinated, intrigued and hooked. It all made sense, he was immediately astute to its methods and since that first seminar, and as a result of trading sessions of Craniosacral Therapy with his colleagues, his back pain subsided and till this day has never returned.

Dr. Kaminsky decided to enhance his skill-set to better serve his patients. He began reaching out to other craniosacral therapists, cranial osteopaths, and many types of leading practitioners from various fields for advise and consultations He also enrolled in Upledger continuing education seminars with a focus on mostly hands-on manual and alternative therapies.

And, as he gained knowledge with his own health issues, he has learned to help more and more patients achieve great health results.

Dr. Alex Kaminsky is headache free and low back pain free, and has committed himself to a life of learning, teaching and treating patients. His emphasis is on the patient’s stored patterns of the body and each individual healthcare needs.

Dr. Kaminsky earned his Chiropractic degree in the year 2000 and is licensed to practice in NY. He has since completed close to three thousand hours of continuing education seminars in various healthcare fields.

Since 2015, he is implementing primarily the hands-on techniques of Craniosacral Therapy (CST), a gentle, non-invasive, laying of the hands that brings about reversal and restoration.

Dr. Alex Kaminsky is an advanced and certified Craniosacral Therapist, having studied advanced levels including SER, Brain and Pediatric courses. He has built a significant skill-set with many years of experience treating adults, children and babies. To learn more, visit the other pages on this website. Call to schedule your appointment with Dr. Kaminsky.