Pectus Correctus

Slow but sure but making progress

2010-08-03T00:46:00.000-07:00

Because of work and other things that keep me busy these days, my workouts have been cut down to 2 days a week most weeks, so progress has slowed. I hit my abs pretty hard when I work out and I often get sharp pains in my ribs as things adjust and move around, but as you can see, when I crunch my abs my rib flare pretty much disappears. At a glance, you may not notice a difference between this weeks photos and the last set because they show nearly the same amount of definition, but if you look closer, you'll notice I don't have to crunch my abs nearly as much to get the same amount of definition. Notice how much more upright my posture is in these? I still have quite a bit of a dent, but just being able to get a handle on my rib flare is definitely an improvement, and knowing that I can make improvement is motivation to keep going..

2010-01-17T23:39:00.000-08:00

Going for round 2 of P90X. Now in week 13, more photos in week 16.

2010-01-17T23:37:00.001-08:00

Here are some more exercises for correcting PE: http://www.ctds.info/pectus_excavatum_exercises.html

My Pectus Excavatum - Week 12 of p90x

2010-01-14T00:50:00.000-08:00

OK, so it took me a bit more than 12 weeks, but I completed all 12 weeks of the p90x program. I didn't do so well on the diet part of it, but I've definately added some muscle mass and feel like I've made some improvement on my PE. I'm finally just starting to get a hint of definition between my pecs, which I think is going to be most important in the appearance of my chest, but more important than appearance is how I feel about my overall health.

The more I exercise, the more I realize how important balance is, the balance between your chest and back, the balance between biceps and triceps, the balance between quads and hamstrings, between upper and lower body, and the balance between work and relaxation. And the more I realize the importance of balance, the more I realize how much my pectus excavatum has thrown off my balance.

PE is caused by an over growth of cartilage where the ribs meet the sternum, which causes the sternum to grow inward, pulling the center of the chest toward the spine, causing the shoulders to curl forward which tightens the muscles of the back and throws the neck forward. The hips have to adjust to attempt to balance the upper body on top of it, which can cause problems all the way down to the feet.

I've also slowly come to realize what should have been blatantly obvious from the beginning: that muscle tone and mass is simply a reflection of your physical abilities, and that to get the results I want, I need to work hard at becoming more capable. Cage fighters look the way they do because they have the ability to beat down most men. Free runners look like superheroes because they can perform superhuman feats. I look different now than I did a year ago because I have the ability to do many things that I couldn't do before, but it's not enough. I will continue to work hard, not only to improve my PE, but also to improve my strength, my abilities, and my balance.

I'm sure I would have made faster progress if I had the drive I do now when I was still growing, but I didn't. It takes 8 years for your body to replace all the cells in your skeleton, and if it takes that long, so be it, but I will not have PE forever.

Other info on Pectus Excavatum

2009-12-26T00:51:00.000-08:00

Alternative to the Nuss Procedure: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2007/11/13/BAONT5JAI.DTL&type=printable

Exercises for PE- Pectus Excavatum: http://hubpages.com/hub/Pectus-Excavatum-Repair-Part-2
More exercises: http://ezinearticles.com/?Improve-Sunken-Chest-With-Exercise---Pectus-Excavatum-Exercises&id=2768571
Great basic exercises here: http://www.uwhealth.org/healthfacts/B_EXTRANET_HEALTH_INFORMATION-FlexMember-Show_Public_HFFY_1118152873555.html
Pectus Deformities Support Group: http://www.pectusinfo.com/
Orthotic Braces for PE: http://www.advancedorthoticdesigns.com/

Pectus Excavatum Forums

2009-12-25T23:26:00.000-08:00

http://www.hipforums.com/newforums/showthread.php?t=316073&f=169

http://www.steadyhealth.com/Anyone_heard_of_this_treatment_for_Pectus_Excavatum_t89723.html

Problems Associated With Pectus Excavatum

2009-12-25T23:16:00.000-08:00

Mitral Valve Prolapse Syndrome- http://www.wright.edu/nursing/practice/mvp/default.htm

Before Photos- My Pectus Excavatum

2009-12-20T00:10:00.000-08:00

These photos don't show what I looked like before working out, in fact, I had probably been going to the gym an average 3 or 4 days a week and had already lost some fat and made some improvements to my chest. I've always been pretty self-conscious about my dent, and have never been brave enough to pose for photographs until I had seen some improvement. Looking at these pictures now, I can't believe I ever let myself get so out of shape.

My self-correction of pectus excavatum

2009-12-02T00:56:00.000-08:00

I'm 35 years old, and just learned it's name a few months ago, but it's been with me since birth and I've hated it for as long as I can remember.

Pectus excavatum (a Latin term meaning hollowed chest)^[1] is the most common congenital deformity of the anterior wall of the chest , in which several ribs and the sternum grow abnormally. This produces a caved-in or sunken appearance of the chest.^[2]

It was only after I realized my baby girl was afflicted by pectus that I made any real attempt to correct it, but I feel I owe it to her to show that it can be improved, if not corrected completely if you have the will to do so. It is only after seeing significant change in my own body that I have decided to create this blog. I'm posting these photos in the hopes of inspiring others with pectus excavatum to take control of their situation and make the best of it, and also to encourage myself to keep moving forward, as it is not always easy to stay motivated to do the exorcises required to see improvement. I've been working out pretty regularly for about 3 years. It's been very clear to me since day one that I was going to have to improve my posture and core strength, but it has only been 2 or 3 months since I have found a program that really works, and it is only now that I can flex my chest to any level of normalcy.

When my abs are fully flexed, you may not notice the deformity unless pointed out to you, but when relaxed, my funnel chest is still pretty obvious, though my profile has improved greatly in the last 2 or 3 months from what it has been most of my life. I'll be posting more photos shortly, both to monitor my improvement and to document my journey to this point. I'll also be sharing the workout routine that is getting me the best results of my life, which is not at all easy, but can be done at home with minimal equipment. I'm OK with working really hard to get the results I want, and the more I see results, the harder I want to work.

I know I still have a way to go to reach my goal of being "unmistakeably ripped", but I've come a long way to get to this point, which you'll see when I post earlier photos. I feel like if I don't begin documenting my progress now, I may forget how bad off I was, and may lose my motivation to continue to improve my Pectus Excavatum. Before I add these next few photos, I'd like to make a few things very clear.
First, I am not trying to give medical advise . I am not qualified to do so but I'll be happy to share some links where you can get that sort of thing when I run across a good site. I'm simply sharing what I have done for myself, and how it has worked for me. Second, if you have any questions or concerns about your workout or health, you should consult a professional; And third, photos can be deceiving. In most of the photos, my abs are flexed. In the relaxed pose, they are totally relaxed in week 8, but not in week 4. This gives the appearance that I may have gained weight, which I assure you, is not the case (at least not fat). In the future, I will try to be more consistent. Let me also point out that there is a lot of bad and incomplete information out there. Please do your own research, and find what works best for you. I am strongly opposed to surgery, except in extreme cases, which leaves me no choice but to do what I can to correct this naturally. I think I should also point out that it is only now, in week 8, that I can manage to keep the rib flare under control throughout the day. This makes a huge difference in my overall appearance, and my self confidence as well. I would say I am usually somewhere between flexed and relaxed throughout the day, but my immediate goal is to look like my flexed photo when relaxed, and then improve from there. OK...Let's get on with the exercises.

I felt I needed to GET FIT, and by getting fit, I mean work out every muscle in my body, from my neck all the way down to my toes. I started hitting the gym pretty regularly, working out for a full hour on every visit, and going 4 to 5 times a week. I would start with 10 or 15 minutes of cardio, then maybe 5 minutes of abs, then 20 minutes of resistance training, then I'd get back on the cardio machine for the last bit, gradually lowering the level to cool down.

I felt I needed to GET FIT, and by getting fit, I mean work out every muscle in my body, from my neck all the way down to my toes. I started hitting the gym pretty regularly, working out for a full hour on every visit, and going 4 to 5 times a week. I would start with 10 or 15 minutes of cardio, then maybe 5 minutes of abs, then 20 minutes of resistance training, then I'd get back on the cardio machine for the last bit, gradually lowering the level to cool down. I also spent 1 hour a week in a yoga class, which if I had to choose just one thing to benefit my core strength and posture, it would be yoga, hands down. An added benefit from yoga is increased flexibility. I'm more flexible now than I ever dreamed of being, and the more I work at it, the more I realize I'm capable of. With that being said, I guess I should explain the weeks on the photos. They refer to the P90X program, and where I am in the program. I may take an extra day off here and there, so my weeks don't always coincide exactly with the calendar, but they will as much as possible. I highly recommend the P90X program, as it has made me realize that as hard as I was working out before, it wasn't enough. It also has a variety of exercises that I had never even thought of before, and the combination they put together is guaranteed to get you results. It's the best $150 I've ever spent for my overall health, allowing me to cancel my gym membership, get a better workout from my home and it will pay for itself within three months in membership fees alone. You really can't lose.

Asside from P90X, it seems especially important for me to be constantly conscious of my posture, day in and day out. whether I'm in line at the bank or sitting on the couch, I'm always focusing on keeping my abs in, especially at the top, where my ribs want to flare out, and keep my shoulders down and back. Keeping the shoulders back is very unnatural for me, as the pectus pulls them forward. I also try to coordinate my breathing, taking a deep breathe as I roll my shoulders back, puffing out my chest as far as possible, and flexing my abs as hard as I can at the same time. I'll often get a "crack", or several small cracks in my sternum as it expands, so I know I'm doing something. The more I blast my abs in my workouts, the more cracks I get throughout the day. The only thing that I really have not followed in the P90x program is the diet, which is obvious by the fat that still hangs on around my waste and along the bottom line of my chest muscles. I'm also constantly stretching throughout the day, clasping my hands behind my back, and pulling them down, popping my shoulders back as far as possible. I also like to reach up to the sky and look up. If I really push these stretches while contractin my abs, I can feel my ribs moving in the right direction.

In my research on Pectus Excavatum, one of the most frustrating attitudes I keep running across is that it can't be changed without surgery, but most of the people who opt for the surgery haven't tried to correct it naturally, or at least haven't tried very hard, then they complain about the side effects of the operation; pain, scarring, exhaustion, etc. If you are considering surgery for pectus, please consider less intrusive methods first. Here is some info on alternatives to surgery:
http://www.orthopectus.com.br/fmethod.htm

As you can see, the difference in my appearance between flexed and relaxed abs is like before and after photos.