Doc Band Before and After | Brachycephaly

When my daughter was recommended to start DOC band therapy, I had a lot of questions and I wanted to see was DOC band before and after results. Does DOC band therapy actually work? Why do babies need to wear a DOC band? Is it my fault that my baby needs a DOC band? How long do babies wear a DOC band? What does DOC band treatment look like? What happens during DOC band therapy? How much does a DOC band cost? Does insurance cover baby helmets?

Related Post: What is Brachycephaly?

After doing a ton of research and asking our doctors several questions we decided to start DOC band therapy for our youngest daughter. After treatment, I felt that I had to share my experience with DOC band therapy so that other parents have access to accurate information and DOC band before and after results. I hope that the answers that I have discovered to my own questions and our personal results will help you to decide whether or not DOC band therapy is right for your child. So let’s start with my first question:

Why do babies need to wear a DOC band?

The DOC band is recommended or babies that are diagnosed with Plagiocephaly or Brachycephaly. Plagiocephaly is a condition in which one side of a babies’ head is flattened. Brachycephaly is a condition in which the back of the head is flattened. These conditions may also result in a bulging forehead and/ asymmetrical ears/eyes/other facial features.

**My daughter was diagnosed with Brachycephaly that resulted in a heightened and bulging forehead and asymmetrical ears.

Is it my fault that my baby needs a DOC band?

My daughter started rolling over at 2 months 6 days old.  She started sleeping on her stomach shortly after she mastered rolling.  Between massive amounts of tummy time, sleeping on her stomach, and sitting in her Bumbo seat or activity centers she was RARELY laying on her back.  However, at her four month appointment, her head was still flat and she was referred to a specialist. I felt that this was somehow still my fault…

However, the doctors at Cranial Technologies reassured me that it was NOT my fault.  They told me that there are several factors that can contribute to Brachycephaly including genetic disorders, but the most common risk factors/causes are:

1. Positioning in the womb– laying with head on a bone in utero, hence causing the cranial bones to grow flat.  (This was what our doctors contributed as the cause for our daughters’ condition.)
2. Premature birth– premature babies usually have to spend the first part of their life in the NICU where they are constantly laying on their backs/back of their head.
3. Torticollis– a condition seen quite often alongside Brachycephaly.  Torticollis is the condition of abnormally tight neck muscles that cause the baby to have a head tilt.  The tight muscles result in pressure within the babies’ head.  (My daughter has a slight head tilt that she is going to physical therapy for, although they did not diagnose her with Torticollis.)
4. Back sleeping– Back sleeping became popular in the 90’s and has since reduced the risk of SIDS by over 50%.  However, it also contributes to the rising case number of Brachycephaly.  
5. Baby Carriers/Nappers/Convenience Devices–  Car seats, pack-and-plays, changing tables, bassinets, loungers, etc… all result in baby laying flat on the back of their head.

How long do babies wear a DOC band?

The child will wear the band for 23 hours a day (taking off for baths only).  The total length of time that a child will wear this band depends on:

1. The severity of their condition.
2. The age of the child: 

• <4 months= 5-7 weeks
• 4 months= 6-9 weeks
• 5 months= 8-10 weeks
• 6 months= 2.5-3.5 months
• >7 months= 3.5-4 months 

**My daughter started DOC band therapy at 5 months old. She had a severe case of Brachycephaly. She wore her helmet for 11 weeks.

How much does a DOC band cost?

Treatment costs around $2000 depending on payment method (Less if paid in full.  More if using a payment plan). However, this cost includes the band and all appointments, adjustments and pictures (not including physical therapy if recommended).

Does insurance cover baby helmets?

Most of the time insurance does not cover treatment as it is currently viewed as a “cosmetic” therapy.  Some insurances, however, will contribute it towards your deductible.  

What does DOC band treatment look like? What happens during DOC band therapy?

At your first appointment, your child will have 3D pictures taken of their head. From these pictures and measurements taken, they will craft a custom helmet for your child. Once the helmet arrives, therapy begins. Your child will start wearing their DOC band right away.

The first day or two your doctor will advise you to only keep the helmet on for a short amount of time and then remove it. This is to assess your child’s reaction to the helmet. There will be red marks (pressure marks) from where the DOC band is pressing against your child’s scull. They want these marks to disappear within an hour of removing the helmet. As soon as they disappear you are to replace the helmet. If they do not disappear CALL YOUR DOCTOR. Once the marks start to disappear within 15 minutes of removing the helmet then your child is ready to start wearing the helmet for 23 hours a day.

You will see your doctor regularly for follow up appointments to evaluate progression and make adjustments. How often your appointments are depends on the child’s age:

• <6 months = once a week
• 6-11 months = once every 2 weeks
• >11.5 months = once every 3 weeks

**Our daughter was seen for weekly growth appointments for the first 7 weeks and then ever other week for the last month of treatment.

During these weekly growth appointments, the doctor will either simply physically examine their head and helmet or they will take more pictures. The doctor will then use their findings to adjust the helmet (shave out parts of the inside of the helmet) to adapt to the progression and promote positive growth.

**It took our daughter only a few weeks to become symmetrical and no longer need adjustments to the sides/front of her DOC band. The rest of therapy was focused on lengthening her head so the doctor only shaved out parts from the back off the helmet.

How to decorate a DOC band:

There are several options for decorating your baby helmet. You can:

• paint it (I used a little spray paint)
• uses stickers (I used stickers made from a circut and they were PERFECT!)
• buy a helmet wrap

How to care for a DOC band:

It is recommended to wipe the inside of the baby helmet with rubbing alcohol during baths each day. I would recommend doing that as well as applying an essential oil to the DOC band. The helmet tends to get pretty stinky quickly. I found that adding some lavender essential oil to the wrap not only helped it to NOT SMELL but it also:

• The scent of lavender helped her to sleep better.
• Lavender oil promotes hair growth and health. Her hair grew longer, thicker and softer throughout the treatment as well!

Pictures of Brachycephaly therapy using the DOC band before and after:

So…Does DOC band therapy actually work?

YES! Obviously, by looking at the DOC band before and after pictures and data, you can see that the band was effective. However, something that I didn’t expect was that because of the adjustments to the symmetry and shape of my daughters’ head her face even looks different!

Is DOC band therapy worth it?

1 in 5 children have some degree of Brachycephaly or Plagiocephaly. However, is an optional therapy. It is solely cosmetic and does not effect your child’s health. Depending on the severity of the condition you may or may not choose to try DOC band therapy. We chose to correct our daughters’ severe condition because of how quickly it could be corrected and how effective the treatment is. It was an easy option for us to fix something that could potentially cause her insecurity or self consciousness. We felt that it was well worth it!

Related Post: I Identify as I

I truly hope that by sharing our experience as well as our DOC band before and after pictures and data it helps you decide whether or not treatment is right for your child.

Best wishes!