July 4th, 2009
Looking back at photo’s of myself as a child I can barely see the sunken chest appearance at all, It just looked like a happy go lucky kid with a little bit of a pot belly:P too many mushy pee’s perhaps. but as you start to get older it definitely starts to develop more and will most likely become deeper.
During my teen years it became very obvious that my chest was different from everyone elses , it was made even more obvious as I was very skinny in my teens, and along with flared ribs it made my chest appearance really stand out.
So around my 20’s my chest pretty much came to a stand still , and it has remained in that state for some time. Its probably due to the fact that human bones are more malleable in your younger years and as you age they become stronger and more in place. This is why I guess they recommend surgery at a young age due to how bendy your bones can be.
So still exercising to improve my P.E and wearing my Posture belt every now and then:)
Tags: carinatum, flared ribs, pectus excavatum, pigeon chest, sternum, sunken chest
Posted in Pectuslist News | 8 Comments »
July 4th, 2009
I dunno If I’m the only person with pectus excavatum that has found my back muscles to be extremely tight, I actually have some severe stretch marks it look like I was beaten with a horse whip quite violently:P. No kidding people thought my parents had beat me up as a child but no no it was due to having pectus excavatum.
When you think about it the sunken sternum is an enormous amount of pressure on the front of your body which means it will pull your back really tight in order to come into your sunken sternum and depending on how severe your P.E is will relate to how tight or stretched your back muscles are.
The best thing I have found for relieving these tight back muscles, which really need to be loosened up for correct posture is to do some simple broom twists. This exercise is also great for bringing the flared ribs in. Basic stretches with a swisse ball will also greatly help your poor tight back muscles.
until next time P.E people:P if anyone is reading
Tags: back muscles, broom twists, funnel chest, pectus excavatum, pigeon chest, sternum, stretch marks, sunken sternum, swiss ball, swisse ball, tight muscles
Posted in Pectus Excavatum Exercise, Pectus Excavatum General | 13 Comments »
June 28th, 2009
A great exercise to try when your at the gym or have a dumbbell at home. Its the dumbbell pullover
Its a great exercise to
- Work tight back muscles due to pectus excavatum
- Expand the rib cage and push out sternum
- Strengthen Chest muscles surrounding sternum
- Helps to bring in flared ribs
You can either do the exercise with a swiss ball or using a normal flat bench and if you have no equipment doing it on the floor is also fine.
Steps
1. Lie your back down on the swisse ball or flat bench
2. Stabalize your legs and core to avoid injury
3. Grab the dumbbell and keep your arms straight at all times
4. Start with your hands straight up in the air, then lower until your arms are inline with your spine try to go lower than that.
5. Concentrate on lowering the dumbbell slowly and pulling it up in a controlled manner
Tags: back muscles, carinatum, core muscles, dumbbell, dumbbell pullover, flared ribs, nuss surgery, pectus excavatum, pigeon chest, stretch, swiss ball, swisse ball, tight muscles
Posted in Pectus Excavatum Exercise | 9 Comments »
June 28th, 2009
To help support your decision to get the surgery the main things apart from a basic GP/Doctor referral you need are
1- CT Scan of the chest / chest wall
2- Echocardiogram
3- Pulmonary function studies
4- detailed note from your family physician on any significant past medical problems including your cardiac, respiratory and genetic history.
The best way to get insurance cover is to make them see the surgery as a neccessary procedure and not just for cosmetic reasons as most doctors consider it these days.
Tags: carinatum, chest x-ray, ct scan, doctor, echocardiogram, funnel chest, insurance, nuss surgery, pectus excavatum, pigeon chest, pulmonary function studies
Posted in Surgery & Insurance | 28 Comments »
June 16th, 2009
Hello all my fellow pectus excavatum and carinatum people , I started this blog to discuss all this pectus excavatum related including
- Surgery
- Pectus Excavatum Exercises
- Homemade Correction Devices
- Growing up with Pectus excavatum
- Finding a Pectus Excavatum Surgeon
I also update a doctor list for pectus excavatum surgeons and doctors around the world to help people find a specialist near them. You can reach my regular page by simple going to www.pectuslist.com
I will make my second post soon discussing how I made a homemade brace to help push my flared ribs in with a few easy things you can buy off ebay.:) I have already written quite a few articles on pectus excavatum exercises, getting insurance cover , finding a doctor and many more there are link on the right hand side.
Tags: carinatum, funnel chest, nuss surgery, pectus excavatum, pigeon chest
Posted in Pectuslist News | 19 Comments »