Southwest Medical

What does the HeadPod do?

• The HeadPod gives a child the opportunity to move their head within their plane of strength and on towards the goal of independent head control.

• It provides a child with a "real world" upright field.

• For many children, HeadPod will reduce the hyper extension of a child's arms which is often seen as a child attempts to raise their head intermittently without adequate head control.

• HeadPod can be used during feeding

• It can be an aide to reduce fatigue, as the child no longer struggles to hold their head upright during the day

• The HeadPod fastens easily to a variety of headrest systems on a child's stroller, wheelchair or stander

There is no neck traction, just vertical re-positioning that makes the spine cervical bones the main factor to support the weight of the head and neck. Meanwhile, the neck muscles work in a physiological upright position to keep the head aligned vertically with the torso spine. We recommend to alternate cycles using HeadPod with others not wearing it, with a total amount of time usually not superior to 8 hours of use a day.

With HeadPod, the neck muscles that raise the head act with less strength but more precisely and in a continuous and physiological way to keep the head properly upright balanced. For the neck muscles responsible for rotation or lateral displacements, HeadPod facilitates not just precision but much more action as well.

Reduces the high tone and hyper-extension of the arms by avoiding the users efforts to continuously raise the head which also affects all other surrounding muscles, and allows the child brain to better interpret the neural inputs to the neck and arms muscles, as we naturally do. The head really can move in any direction except downwards, which completely differs HeadPod from any other restraint or positioning system. With HeadPod you will find a wide range of benefits secondary to the good, natural, and healthy posture achieved.

Children aged 2-12 years unable to sustain the weight of their own head due to neck weakness, provided that there is no high extensor tone in the trunk or signification deformities on it.

Ideal candidates are children with Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA), cerebral palsy, neurological diseases and syndromes or conditions causing hypotonia of the neck muscles. Children older than 12 years with low muscle tone in the neck and trunk and no significance kyphosis or spinal deformities, and Adults without mechanical restrictions whose neck can be easily mobilized in all directions.