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Connor

Connor

Connor's STARband Treatment at Steeper Clinic

"Shortly after Connor was born we noticed that he had a flat area on his head. At first we were not concerned as most babies have some flat areas and in our eyes he was perfect, but as time went on and he grew we noticed that the flat area was getting bigger and bigger.

At Connor’s 12 week check I pointed this out to the health visitor, she then looked at the way Connor was turning his head. The health visitor noticed straight away that Connor could only turn his head to the right and not to the left. As a result of this, Connor had always laid in one position when he was lying down and sat in the same position when he was in both the pushchair and car seat. I felt awful to have not noticed this up to this point.

The health visitor referred me to the GP who in turn made an appointment with the pediatric physiotherapist to help the turning of his head.

Another 6 weeks passed and I had not received an appointment, during this time I had been searching the internet for babies with the same problem as Connor. Time after time I kept coming across the mention of plagiocephaly.

After looking deeper into plagiocephaly I was convinced this might be something that Connor had, my research told me that the earlier this is treated the better the result. Hence 6 weeks with no contact from the hospital really concerned me, so I contacted them in hope they could rush the appointment through. I was told that there was a waiting list and I should hear soon.

Still concerned about the situation I returned to the internet for answers and came across the Steeper Clinic in Leeds who specialised in plagiocephaly. They were most helpful and advised me that they had an appointment the following day so I could discuss my concerns with a specialist.

The next day I visited the clinic and saw Kate Chauhan who was very helpful. She scanned Connor’s head and confirmed that Connor did in fact have plagiocephaly. She explained that there are 4 categories of severity (normal, mild, moderate and severe), and Connor’s head was in the worst category (severe) and would had never improved to a normal head shape without treatment. Connor’s head measured 13mm out of shape.

My only option at this stage was to proceed with the treatment at Steeper clinic at a cost of £2000 or leave Connor’s condition and he would be left with his flat spot for the rest of his life. I also knew that this came with other problems should the condition not be sorted after discussions with the specialist and the research I had done myself.

Within 2 weeks of the appointment Connor was fitted with his STARband helmet and his treatment began. 

6 months after the day he had the helmet fitted Connor completed his treatment for plagiocephaly. My husband and I were extremely happy to receive the news that Connor’s head had returned to a normal shape (he measured 3mm) and his neck moves freely as well.

Without the help and advice of Steeper Clinic and the hours of searching on the internet, Connor would have faced problems for the rest of his life as a result of this condition."

- Connor's mum Michelle