Cranial Orthosis Lateral Support for Infant Head Deformity Correction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current devices fail to effectively prevent and correct non-synostotic cranial deformities in infants, as they either do not provide sufficient lateral support, conform to the abnormal head shape, or require prolonged use with limited effectiveness, leading to incomplete correction and high costs.
Innovation Solution
A semi-rigid, one-piece headrest with a hemi-ellipsoidal depression and lateral support surfaces that apply external forces to abnormal bulges while minimizing forces on flattened areas, promoting even growth and maintaining a normal head shape, made from high-density foam or other materials for comfort and durability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If current devices are used to prevent and correct cranial deformities, then treatment is provided, but the devices either do not provide sufficient lateral support or conform to the abnormal head shape, resulting in incomplete correction
Solution Approach 1:
The headrest incorporates lateral support surfaces positioned at specific locations to provide targeted support to the sides of the infant's head. These surfaces are strategically placed to prevent contact between the abnormal head shape and the headrest body, while still providing necessary lateral support to correct deformities.
Solution Approach 2:
The headrest design includes asymmetric lateral support surfaces that can be positioned to match the specific asymmetry of the infant's head deformity. The depression is molded to approximate the posterior and side aspects of the skull, providing customized asymmetric support where needed while maintaining open spaces where support is not required.
2Ease of operation
If current devices conform to the abnormal head shape, then they provide comfort, but they fail to apply corrective forces to redirect growth
Solution Approach 1:
The headrest provides comfort through the molded depression that approximates the posterior and side aspects of the skull, while simultaneously maintaining lateral support surfaces that do not conform to the abnormal shape. This localized differentiation allows comfort in contact areas while maintaining corrective pressure in non-contact areas.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of having the headrest conform to the abnormal head shape like traditional devices, this invention inverts the approach by using lateral support surfaces that maintain their original geometric form and position, allowing them to apply corrective forces without conforming to the deformity.
3Duration of action of moving object
If current devices require prolonged use with limited effectiveness, then treatment duration is extended, but the correction remains incomplete and costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The headrest is designed to be used during the critical period of rapid brain and skull growth from birth to ten months, applying corrective forces during this optimal window. The lateral support surfaces are positioned to redirect growth forces while the skull is most malleable, achieving correction more efficiently before the growth period ends.
Solution Approach 2:
The headrest provides continuous corrective action throughout the critical growth period through its lateral support surfaces, which consistently redirect growth forces during sleep. The design ensures that corrective forces are applied continuously without interruption, maximizing the effectiveness of the treatment during the limited growth window.
Data Source
AI summary
A device and method for preventing and correcting abnormal shaping of an infant's cranium by applying external forces over time with the growth of an infant to achieve normal shaping of the infant's head. The device is a cranial orthosis having a depression with a contact surface in the shape of at least a portion of a normal infantile cranium. The orthosis further provides lateral support surfaces creating points of contact to restrict rotation of the infant's cranium and provide additional external forces for normal shaping of the infant's cranium. Because the present invention is non-conforming to the shape of an abnormal skull, the exerted forces cause accelerated expansion of the skull in less prominent areas coincident with brain and skull growth.