Observational studyItalian journal of pediatrics2024
Positional plagiocephaly: results of the osteopathic treatment of 424 infants. An observational retrospective cohort study.
Observational study in Italian journal of pediatrics, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.
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Who cites it
5 citing papers in PubMed.
- Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment in 564 Children with Congenital Heart Disease: A Project Report.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Cross-Sectional study on cranial shape measurement values of 2,165 preterm infants in Beijing.Frontiers in pediatrics · 2026Article
- Pediatrics advances in 2024: choices in allergy, cardiology, critical care, endocrinology, gastroenterology, immunology, infectious diseases, neonatology, nephrology, neurology, nutrition, palliative care respiratory tract illnesses, and social media.Italian journal of pediatrics · 2025Review
- Alleviating abnormal stress on compressed cranial sutures: a potential mechanism for treating and preventing deformational plagiocephaly.Italian journal of pediatrics · 2025Article
- The Correlation Between Infant Head Shape in Craniometric Studies and Psychomotor Development Disorders.Journal of clinical medicine · 2025Review
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Authors and funding
8 authors.
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Abstract
backgroundPositional plagiocephaly is an asymmetrical flattened skull deformity whose incidence increased significantly in the last decades. Osteopathic treatment has been suggested to tackle early deformational sequences, in order to ensure the correct development of the child. The aim of the study was to assess the effectiveness of osteopathic treatment of positional cranial deformities in infants.
methodsRetrospective observational study carried out at the Section of Neonatology and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit of the Department of Interdisciplinary Medicine of University of Bari, Italy in collaboration with a specialized pediatric osteopath.
results424 infants were enrolled. Isolated positional plagiocephaly affected the vast majority of infants (n. 390, 91.98%); 34 patients (8.02%) were diagnosed with positional brachycephaly. Both infant groups (positional plagiocephaly and positional brachycephaly) had a median severity score of 3 (IQR: 3 - 3 and 2 - 3, respectively) and benefited from a median of 3 osteopathic sessions (IQR 3-4 and 2-4, respectively). Higher severity scores of positional asymmetries were significantly more common in preterm neonates (Pearson chi2: 11.58; p-value: 0.021) and in males (Pearson chi2: 10.06; p-value: 0.039).
conclusionsSignificant improvements in positional cranial deformations of children were obtained after only five osteopathic treatments provided in the first months of life. The osteopathic treatment could positively impact the clinical history of patients with positional plagiocephaly and positional brachycephaly. IMPLICATION FOR PRACTICE: • Positional plagiocephaly is increasingly common among infants and may cause moderate to severe neurodevelopmental adverse effects. • Osteopathic treatment may tackle early deformational sequences, in order to ensure the correct development of the child. • Our study reveals that cranial asymmetry of infants with positional plagiocephaly is significantly reduced after only five osteopathic treatments provided in the first months of life. • Osteopathic treatment should be offered as a first line approach to young infants diagnosed with positional plagiocephaly.
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