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A crow’s chest (Latin pectus carinatum) owes its name to a defect that gives it the appearance of a bird’s chest. It consists in the fact that the chest is moved forward and flattened on the sides, i.e. the sternum and the adjacent rib cartilages are moved forward, while the further sections of the ribs lose their curved shape and form a concave below the nipples. The ailment is both developmental and acquired. However, the crow’s chest is a rare defect that most often affects young boys during adolescence. The defect very rarely causes respiratory and cardiovascular disorders through pressure on internal organs. Therefore, the most common reason for treating a chicken cage is psychological reasons, i.e. the desire to improve the appearance of your body due to complexes.
The causes of the formation of a chicken chest
The causes of the formation of a chicken chest they are quite varied, which causes problems with pointing to a specific reason for its occurrence. Most often it appears as a result of past rickets. Traces of rickets are usually visible in the form of a circular tightening of the walls at the height of the diaphragm attachments (the so-called Harrison’s groove) and thickening of the ribs at the transition from the bone rib to the cartilaginous rib (the so-called nettle rosary). Therefore, we must remember that our child has an adequate level of vitamin D. Thanks to this, we will protect ourselves against rickets and chest defects.
For the next causesthat can trigger development chicken chest, it is considered: tuberculosis of the thoracic spine, disturbances in ossification processes, incorrect distribution of muscle attachments. It should be noted that chicken chest it can also occur in certain syndromes of genetic defects, such as: Marfan, Noonan or Turner syndrome. If such defects have occurred in the family in the past, it may happen that our child will also suffer from these defects. Remember that chicken chest in a child, may lead to a number of problems in the future, such as: scoliosis, reduced lung capacity, weakness of the breathing and back muscles, or reduced mobility of the chest.
Symptoms and health consequences of chicken chest
Partly symptoms and consequences defects in the form chicken chest have already been mentioned above. To sum up – the main symptom is the bulging of the sternum and the concave shape of the ribs below the nipple line. People who suffer from dust cage have an increased total cross-section of the axial cage. A crow’s cage pectoral has two forms. In the first case, only part of the sternum, such as the handle, deforms, while the remaining parts (shaft) are positioned correctly. In the second case, the body of the sternum is also significantly advanced, and the xiphoid process is the most important.
Crow’s chest most often it causes aesthetic consequences. People struggling with this defect have a number of complexes that cause the unsightly appearance of the chest. Unfortunately, sometimes the defect can lead to disorders of the muscle tone and impairment of the respiratory muscles. There may also be performance problems because chicken chest may lead to a reduction in lung volume. There are also problems with disturbed ventilation due to limited mobility of the chest.
Treatment of the chicken’s chest
Best chance of recovery chicken chest and the avoidance of related complications have people in whom the defect was detected as early as possible, i.e. in early childhood. Thanks to early diagnosis, treatment chicken cages can only be limited to corrective exercises. Of course, only the doctor decides about the selection of a set of corrective exercises and the method of treatment. Corrective classes consist of general development and breathing exercises that allow you to increase endurance and shape weakened muscles. Corrective exercises are most effective in the case of children.
In the treatment of chicken chest swimming in the crawl and butterfly style as well as cycling and running are very helpful. In the treatment of chicken chest a diet rich in vitamin D is recommended. People suffering from this type of defect should remember about appropriate health prophylaxis. Any respiratory infections can be much more severe than in healthy people. In the case of an adult, treatment chicken chest using corrective exercises does not bring the intended effects, as it is in the case of children whose muscles and bones are still developing. Sometimes adults, for aesthetic reasons, decide to undergo treatment through surgery. Conservative treatment, which consists in applying pressure to the sternum through special and various orthopedic appliances, is much less often used.