Eficacia de la fisioterapia pediátrica en la prevención y tratamiento de la plagiocefalia posicional: una revisión sistemática

Introduction

Positional plagiocephaly is a flattened and asymmetrical deformity of the skull in infants, caused by constant external pressure on one area of the head. Prevention and treatment are important to avoid developmental problems in the infant. This systematic review aimed to analyze and evaluate the current evidence regarding the prevention and non-surgical approaches to positional plagiocephaly.

Material and methods

Systematic searches were conducted in Scopus, Web of Science, and ScienceDirect. The ROBINS-I tool was used to assess the risk of bias in non-randomized studies, while the RoB tool was used to evaluate the risk of bias in randomized studies.

Results

A total of 10 articles were included. Of these, 8 had a therapeutic objective, and 2 were preventive. The most common intervention involved a combination of parental education with manual therapy techniques or orthopedic elements. The risk of bias in 6 of the analyzed articles was high. No adverse effects were identified in any of the articles.

Conclusions

Manual therapy interventions, such as myofascial and manipulative techniques, parental education, and the use of cranial orthoses, are effective and safe for treating and preventing positional plagiocephaly. Their use may help reduce the incidence of this condition worldwide.