New Method to Improve Pectus Excavatum

Edit 9 feb 2014: "This method worked for me as long as my ribs flared out. When they were fixed almost 100% I stopped with this method". 

I have found during my research that it is important to stabilize the whole thorax when using support. I have now implemented a new method to my strategy and I believe that it is very useful. The closer to full correction the more difficult to make improvements, but I continue to find new ways. The support I wear in the pictures is made of a very elastic material. There should be a very mild pressure from it. The whole thorax is involved in the development of pectus excavatum therefore I think it is necessary to brace it as a whole. The support I wear should be used the opposite way than normal. The front should be at the back of the human body and vice versa. I have also tried to use it during sleep a few days a week and it helps.

Shoes that lifts up the human heels shall not be in use to make the posture perfect. If ordinary shoes are in use it may not work at all or very poorly.
 

 

 

 

 

                             

Special Push Ups for Pectus Excavatum

A lot of people have tried to fix their pe with bodybuilding. I have never seen a bodybuilder who has made very huge improvements of the sternum. If you know about someone who has made big improvements to this specific deformity, please make a comment because that would be a big sensation.

During my research I have really tried to figure out how every single bone interacts with every single muscle and the best tip I can give you is to do so called incline push-ups (the feet shall be lower than the upper body). Why?

When doing this exercise the pelvis will be rotated to maximal perfection. This will in turn activate the abdomen perfectly. And together with interaction of the upper part of the chest the rib cage will be stretched and the sternum lifts out. Even the kyphotic spine related to pe will be improved and the blood flow in the upper back will increase.

Another significant benefit from this training method is that the upper chest (along the shoulder line) will grow, and it will make the chest as a whole, to look a lot better.

Tip: You can for example do this exercise with the hands on a normal bed and the feet on the floor.

Note: Most people don’t seem to know that people with pectus excavatum have a small curvature of the spine. It can be so small so it is almost unnoticeable. My theory predicts that the sunken sternum and the kyphotic spine are interrelated. And to fix pectus excavatum the spine must be normalized (the muscles shall be stretched so that the spine can be straightened).

The best instruction video I found for how to do incline push-ups : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0bRiVhnO8Q

This exercise is probably one of the most misunderstood exercises in the world. Amateurs tend to believe that it activates mostly the lower part of the chest. My advice is, listen to the experts not the amateurs. The vast majority (which includes most amateurs) are wrong.

Remember that you can always ask me a question in the forum on my website. 

Why are Men Over-represented in the Pectus Excavatum Statistics

There are around three times more men whom have pectus excavatum than women. It is a statistically fact.

My main theory is (as I stated earlier) that pectus excavatum is caused by ergonomic reasons combined with genetic factors. The ergonomic main reason after birth is to lift the human heel with ordinary shoes (shoes with heels) so that they manipulates with the skeletal and muscular system in the human body. The human body is perfectly constructed for walking without shoes (it is a scientific fact).

What is the difference between men and women from an ergonomic perspective that is the big question here? And a little more detailed question is of course what is the difference when it comes to shoes?

I think the answer is that men are taller and have bigger feet in general. What effect will it have? The bigger feet, the bigger will the moment (Nm, newton metre) be when the feet are lifted up under the heels. This means that it is more likely that the body reacts by leaning backwards. And as my main theory goes, that is the devastating reaction that may lead to pe. What will the effect be if a person is very tall? The taller the person is the further away from the ergonomic balance line that person will go. This theory I have, is illustrated mathematically in the picture below.

 

 

The left figure is a tall person with big feet representing men and the one to the right illustrates women.

Why are People with Pectus Excavatum so Skinny

It is known today that almost all people with pectus excavatum are very skinny. Why? I will here give you my theory about that fact.

First of all today science know that people with pectus excavatum are very healthy in general. There is nothing wrong with the metabolism, that is linked to pectus excavatum. There are no known reasons why skinniness is so common (almost everyone). I have earlier stated that pectus excavatum is caused by a compression and rotation of the thorax causing the sternum to be pulled in by the ribs. The space in the upper part of the thorax will therefore be smaller than it should be. Because of the compression and rotation and the sunken sternum, the diaphragm has less space to operate in and to compensate for the smaller space in the upper part of the thorax the diaphragm starts to expand the lungs in the lower part of the thorax causing the ribs to flare out (not only because of the rotation). And now to the point. It is much more energy demanding to constantly lift the lower part of the ribcage than it is to expand the lungs in the upper part of the thorax. This will rise the demand for food consumption a lot. Most people simply don’t eat that much and this will lead to the skinniness. The diaphragm is quite big so it is common sense that if it works a lot more, the energy consumption by it will rise dramatically.

Conclusion: Over activity in the diaphragm, flared ribs and skinniness are linked together.

How to Lift Your Sternum During Sleep

I have been working on a method to lift the sternum during sleep and now I have started to implement it to my self-treatment. I have tested it for some time to see if it really helps. And the result is that I believe that it is a must to effectively reduce pectus excavatum and hopefully finally reach full correction. The picture below shows how I sleep at the moment and I do it every night the initial 2 hours. After just a few weeks there have been a dramatic improvement to my condition. My depth in the chest was about 1.3 cm when I posted the latest picture and now after my new implementation it is about 9 mm.

The surface shall be 1. Very hard. 2. Keep the human body warm (if it’s cold it will not work properly).

This method will recover the shortening of the back (stretch the muscles) and reduce and hopefully fix the kyphotic spine related to pectus excavatum. The flared ribs will also be dramatically improved.

1.      Do not eat 3 hours before going to sleep to make the diaphragm to work optimal (maximize the space) so it can help to lift the sternum.

2.      Sleep on the back without pillow (extremely important).

3.      Sleep the rest of the night in a normal bed (quite hard) on the left and the right side.

The picture below shows what kind of material I sleep on. It is cellular plastic. But I think you can use a sleeping mat as long as it is very hard and keeps you warm.

 

     Note: As long as you use shoes that lift up your heels

    your progress will most likely be lost. I recomend to

  read everything on my blog to get the full picture.