I think that I may have found the key to lift the sternum
completely, or at least very effectively during sleep by put a brace on the
lower ribs while lying on the back without lifting the head up with a pillow.
I have like many others tried to brace my lower
ribs many times in an attempt to fix pectus excavatum but without any results
at all. The key is according to my experience to use the brace only during
sleep the initial 2 hours during the night, then remove it and not use it
during the day. For example I have found during my testing that it even can
make the sternum to sink in while sitting down. So once again; According to my experience
it works only while lying down on the back without pillow on a quite hard
surface.The brace I use looks like this.
It should be put on like this, right below the pectoralis
muscles.
This photo was taken after 2 hours on my back with the brace. I could see a difference immediately (once 50 now 4-5 mm).
If you can’t sleep with the brace on, I have a tip: Why not
watch a movie during 2 hours? Just place the TV/monitor on the ceiling (it is
important to look straight up or slightly downwards).
Try to breathe through the nose so that the intercostal
muscles gets as deactivated as possible.
Basic extremely important rule: Try to put as mild pressure on the lower ribs as possible without losing the effect. If it is put on too tight, the pressure from the sides will be too great compared to the pressure from front view, and very likely, the effect will be lost.
I recommend to stand up a few minutes before the brace is put on and it should be put on while standing as well. The brace should almost fall off in a standing position and when you lie down, you will probably find that the pressure from it will increase.
Another important thing is that it will work optimal around 3 hours after the last meal. The diaphragm will have more space to operate in under such circumstances and therefore produce a stronger lift effect on the sternum from the inside.
Basic extremely important rule: Try to put as mild pressure on the lower ribs as possible without losing the effect. If it is put on too tight, the pressure from the sides will be too great compared to the pressure from front view, and very likely, the effect will be lost.
I recommend to stand up a few minutes before the brace is put on and it should be put on while standing as well. The brace should almost fall off in a standing position and when you lie down, you will probably find that the pressure from it will increase.
Another important thing is that it will work optimal around 3 hours after the last meal. The diaphragm will have more space to operate in under such circumstances and therefore produce a stronger lift effect on the sternum from the inside.
Just curious, what made you start this blog? I also suffer from Pectus Excavatum, and I've been looking all over the internet for a non-surgical type of treatment. The surgery looks very painful and risky, it also costs a lot if it's only cosmetic. I just wanted to thank you for what you're doing, keep it up.
ReplyDeleteYou are one of the first persons to say thanks, I appreciate that on the highest level and yes, I will keep it up and always try to do my best. There are so many reasons to put the information I have on a blog so I will choose the most important things of all. The most important reason is that I want people whom many times are in a desperate situation to get help. All people can’t or don’t want to undergo surgery for different reasons. Another reason is that I am absolutely sure that the world, so far, have completely misunderstood the basics to why PE exists and my aim is to revolutionize the understanding of PE which I am sure has happened at some degree and will happen at full scale worldwide soon. It is also very expensive to seek non-surgical treatment for PE as well and my personal view is that there has never been proved that non-surgical treatment ever have truly helped anyone. Just a lot of money for nothing. People are getting fooled to believe that some sort of treatment work but it doesn’t. Therefore I have decided that all information on my site shall be free without any time limit or any form of registration to get this information. Even anonymous users can both read and ask me questions if they want to. There are also a lot of poor people in this world and for me it would be horrible to think that those people shouldn’t get help because of economic reasons. However in the future I MUST get some income from this, because I have spent so much money on this project I can’t even tell how much it is. In the future I may let some companies in to my blog whom sell ergonomic products. But they will only be “welcome” here if they give readers of this blog 20-40% off from ordinary price. I will also turn my blog into a cheap book. But I will never, under any circumstances, demand money for the information on this blog. I wish that I could reach out to everyone in the world with PE to have a look on this blog, so they could make a judgment themselves.
ReplyDeleteI wish I could help you somehow because you seem really passionate, and I like your idea of advertising companies and giving your readers deals. It's nice to see someone actually helping others instead of lying and scamming them for once, it hurts to know that people need money to find even the simplest of treatments for their diseases or sickness these days. I cant thank you enough for what you're doing and I wish you all the success in the world, I hope you help a lot of people and you never give up. I'll make sure to try and spread the word about your blog.
DeleteThe best people can do to help me, and others as well is to tell about their experience while trying out the content on this blog. I guess some people whom read this blog ask themselves, will it work or not. Some people have already told me that it works and during my research in this field I found that x-ray photos and posture matched my own so I have always been very confident about that this works for others as well. I think it is much about motivation to improve PE dramatically like I have done. The more sure about that this is the “PE-revolution” one gets, I guess, the more motivation there will be. Thank you for the help, I think you have done everything you can do!
ReplyDeleteI read whole blog today and it is really interesting and from today i will start use the things i learned here. I search a lot about PE but I never found something like this everyone talking about surgery, but surgery was never my choice. My PE is about 4.8 cm so we will see how things will develop. I have 20 years and train swimming for 14 years and also do a lot of workout in gym but that never helped to improve my PE, I hope that this gone work. Congratulations to you and just keep it on!
ReplyDeleteAnonymous July 23 2014: Sounds really intresting to hear how it turns out.
ReplyDeleteHi , thanks for all the great help. Whats your procedure on fixing rib flare?
ReplyDeleteOne question, where did you get this brace and can maybe a belt for weightlifting serve instead brace?
ReplyDeleteI bought it in a store for sports. I think that it will be quite easy to find one on the internet just search on google for “back support belt”. Does a belt for weightlifting work? I tried that out in the beginning but found it too stable. I think that is important that it is both stable and a little flexible and also quite large (around 20 cm) to minimize the risk for back pain.
ReplyDeleteRib flare will be fixed at the same time and there are also some other ways that I have found helpful which can be found on this blog.
ReplyDeleteI also appreciate this blog.
ReplyDeleteI'm going to have a look over all the entries and see what ones I can fit into my life.
I have a 2.5 cm pectus excavatum but when I contacted a thoracic surgeon he told that it was ok and he advised me not to work out at the gym as it may bring some cardiovascular complexities
ReplyDeleteAnonymousOctober 29: I think it is important to be very careful at the gym and start with small weights and concentrate on doing exercises which are good for PE and not think so much about building the muscles. At least not in the beginning.
ReplyDeleteDo you think it is a good idea to lie on the back with arms behind the head? It seems to push out the lower ribs so that the brace targets them frontwards.
ReplyDeleteWhat also happens in the situation you describes is that the upper back bends downwards to the ground. And there you have it; flared ribs and kyphosis are interrelated. I strongly recommend to NOT do this. Thank you for your contributing question.
ReplyDeleteBen: Another thing; there you also have the reason to why I developed my modified version of dumbbell pullovers.
ReplyDeleteOkay thanks!
ReplyDeleteSo then it is best to have arms down the sides? Also should breathing be short or deep breaths?
Ben: Yes, also be sure to lie down on a quite hard surface so that the shoulders falls backwards, this will help to lift the chest. Try to take small breaths through the nose. But one thing you can try in this position, is to take deep breaths out (exhale), this can help to lift the sternum according to my experience. You seems to ask yourself the same questions as have been through. I think that your questions really contributes.
ReplyDeleteThankyou Bjorn, I really appreciate your quick replies and invaluable knowledge regarding pectus excavatum. I have noticed that since bracing most nights my lower ribs feel slightly bruised and tender but i'm quite happy because they are far more flexible and I can push in the flare even while standing up.
ReplyDeleteBen: It sounds really good for me to hear (and I think for others as well) about your achievements. Keep it up but be careful and let it take it’s time (my advice). You can take a break as well, that will not damage the process as long as the rest of the routine is followed.
ReplyDeleteOk thanks, I think I will apply less pressure to the lower ribs for a week.
ReplyDeleteOn your original 'How to lift your sternum during sleep' you made a cut out section for the head to be placed, do you still think this is a good idea? I haven't tried it yet but I find that my neck gets sore after lying on my back for an hour - so the cut out seems like a good solution.
One other question: Is there any high intensity cardio exercise that you recommend? I enjoy weights and boxing but sometimes I feel like they can effect my posture negatively.
Ben: I will always recommend barefoot walking (zero drop) as the primary essential part of the self-treatment. Walk very fast is something that I have tried out and found very good for the posture which directly affects the spine and therefore the thorax as whole. I try to do it 4 times a week quite long distances. Essential in the recovery is as well; avoid long periods of physical inactivity for example sitting down. For people working in front of the computer I recommend to take a short walk at least once an hour, and think about the ergonomics while sitting down as well. The sleeping routine: I do all of my sleeping strategies when they feels right. Variation is obviously good to avoid monotony.
ReplyDeleteThis blog is great. Thank you for collecting these experiments and doing these experiments. I had the Nuss procedure done many years ago and have always been very disappointed with the results. Would you mind posting the brand name of the brace that you're using, or an Amazon link?
ReplyDeleteAgnosiac: I am very sorry, but I may get sued if I do that at the moment (recommend brands). Store for sporting goods is recommended.
ReplyDeleteWould you ever recommend sleeping on your stomach? Puts pressure on ribs/allows sternum to be in freefall. Is this a bad idea for posture?
ReplyDeleteIt doesn't work for me. I don't recommend it.
ReplyDelete