Pectus excavatum, also known as sunken or funnel chest, is a congenital chest wall deformity with few treatment options other than surgery. It is the most common anterior chest wall deformity in which the rib cage does not develop properly. More common in Caucasian and Asian populations, pectus excavatum occurs in 1 in approximately 500-600 births, more often in men. Symptoms may affect breathing and the heart and may therefore be life-threatening.
Causes of Pectus Excavatum
Although the current accepted theory mentioned in surgical thoracic textbooks is that pectus excavatum is caused by a genetic defect, no research has yet linked pectus excavatum to a specific genetic defect. The Journal of Pediatric Surgery published a review in 2009 that suggested an association between pectus excavatum and other connective tissue disorders, such as Marfan's syndrome and muscular dystrophy. Since pectus excavatum is a disorder related to the way the chest itself has developed, there is no option for improving the deformity outside of surgery. Push ups do not help correct the underlying problem.
Symptoms of Pectus Excavatum
Pain is a common complaint of older children with pectus excavatum. Cardiac symptoms may occur, since the deformity may displace the heart. The chest deformity may interfere with the lungs' ability to expand, decrease endurance and cause shortness of breath. A single study done at Northeastern University and published in 2008 did note that physical therapy helped decrease shoulder pain. However, no evidence shows that push ups can relieve the symptoms of pectus excavatum.
Your Doctor's Role
Doctors often order an electrocardiogram and echocardiogram for patients with pectus excavatum, since pectus excavatum may affect the heart. They often order secondary pulmonary function studies as well, because pectus excavatum may decrease the lungs' ability to expand properly. Your doctor can also advise you about which exercises are right for you. If you want to do push-ups as part of your exercise plan, ask your doctor what she thinks.
Treatment of Pectus Excavatum
Push-ups are not known to help pectus excavatum: The only treatment option for pectus excavatum is surgery. There are two types of surgery. The first is an invasive technique, the Ravitech technique, and the second a less invasive technique, the Nuss technique. Both techniques involve using a steel bar to raise the sternal bones. The Ravitech techinque is a longer surgery but is well tolerated after 5-6 months. The Nuss technique requires steel bars to be inserted in the sternal bones for up to 2 years and is known to cause pain.
References
- "Textbook of General Thoracic Surgery"; Thomas W. Shields, Joseph LoCicero, Carolyn E. Reed and Richard H. Feins; 2009
- "Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation"; Integrated Physical Therapy Intervention for a Person With Pectus Excavatum and Bilateral Shoulder Pain; P. K. Canavan and L. Cahalin; 2008
- "Journal of Pediatric Surgery"; Etiology of Chest Wall Deformities--A Genetic Review for the Treating Physician; D. Kotzot and A.H. Schwabegger; 2004
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