Inexpensive Footwear to Make the Posture 100% Perfect

The best footwear I have tried is also one of the most inexpensive, so called “Flip Flops”. But they are only good if they are constructed in a way so they can be called zero drop (no difference between the forefoot and the heel). There are a lot of brands on the market today that goes under the name zero drop/barefoot shoes. And probably there are some brands that not even know that they can have such a good health effect like the one the picture below shows. I just want to show with this post that if one wants to try out the difference between ordinary footwear and others that make the feet work in a completely natural way and as a consequence of that makes the posture perfect, one don’t have to try it out with very expensive professional barefoot shoes.



And remember that the whole basic idea is stop doing what causes PE (bad posture caused by footwear that lifts the human heel).

Tip: You can also use specific socks for flip flops.

Exercise for Flared Ribs: Barbell Ab Rollout

Warning! This is an extreme exercise when it is done with only the feet (not the knees) on the ground. Beware of injuries. This exercise activates the abdominal muscles in an extreme way so that the flared ribs will be stretched and closed over time. I recommend to begin very carefully with the knees on the ground and slowly but steadily move the hands further and further away from the body as you get stronger if you aren’t already. You might get a little pain around the sternum and the flared ribs. But I think that is good. It proves that it works. I believe that this exercise is far superior to dumbbell pullovers which for me have been proven almost completely worthless probably because of a weak interaction of the abdominal muscles.

Note 1: You will of course need special equipment for this exercise (if not barbell). I recommend to search on google for “ab slider/wheel/roller” and choose pictures and you will probably find something of interest that is not too expensive.

Note 2: I have now developed a modified verson of dumbbell pullovers which activates the abdominal area in a way that makes the exercise effective. It can be found here.

Heavy Clothes on the Upper Body can Stop the Recovery Process

I have noticed that heavy clothes on the upper body can make the recovery process very difficult and possibly even impossible. My advice is wearing as light weighted clothes as possible. There are a lot of stores that sell clothes that are really light weighted even for use during winter time. The worst thing that I have experienced during my recovery time was when I first used a pair of shoes that lifted up my heels (will never do that again) and at the same time used a quite heavy winter jacket. The free fall of the ribcage was really evident and a sharp feeling of discomfort aroused. The weight from the heavy jacket accelerated the free fall of the ribcage. This may also be one of the minor reasons I think to the development of PE (heavy clothes on the upper body).

Sitting Posture That Lifts Out the Sternum

When it comes to sitting down I don’t think that there is any way to do it, in a way, that all parts of the body likes. It is about prioritize and variation depending on what you do. In this case (pectus excavatum) the top priority is the upper back. The outstanding most effective way to make sure that the ribcage doesn’t get in to a free fall is to sit down as the picture shows below. I believe that this is how the body is meant to sit down (the natural way). A really good “PE-prevention-sitting-posture”. I have implemented this to my strategy and I try to do it around 20-30% of the time spent sitting down during the day. It took some time to get used to it so I think it might be a good idea trying to implement it gradually to the anti-PE-strategy. If you try it you will probably notice that it has a self-closing effect on the lower ribs and keeps the upper back in a non-kyphotic position.

Breathing Exercise for Pectus Excavatum

I have developed this exercise myself. The purpose of it is to make the ribs that are attached to the sternum to push it out and over time get them in to their normal positions. I recommend to be careful in the beginning and not breathe to fast. Four (4) deep exhales per minute not more I think. It is very important to understand that the physiology in people with pectus excavatum is a little different to normal. Exhale (NOT INHALE) will lift the sternum in people with PE even though this may seem like a paradox. I recommend trying it in front of a mirror so you can see that it works. Make sure that the surface you are standing on is absolutely horizontal.

 
1. As the picture below shows: Stand up with the hands on the chest and the feet width apart
    (this will simulate a walking posture and close the lower ribs).

2. Exhale very powerfully but slowly and let the body inhale by itself (not consciously).

3. I recommend doing this in 5 minute periods at a maximum but it can be done several times a day.