Dealing with Pectus Carinatum (Pigeon Chest)

I’m reaching out because I really need some advice from anyone who might know something about this. I have pectus excavatum, which means my chest is asymmetrical—the right side sticks out significantly. I’m 17 years old and about 6'1". I tried using those corrective chest binders to push everything in, but honestly, they didn't work at all. Plus, they were incredibly painful to wear. My main question is: is surgery actually an option? If so, where would you recommend I go, what does it cost, and can I get it covered by insurance? This is a huge insecurity for me; it's ruining my summer because I don't even feel comfortable going to the pool or the beach without a shirt on. Please, if anyone has any insight, let me know.

Anonymous said:I’m asking for some help here. I have pectus carinatum, which means my right chest bone sticks out significantly. I’m 17 years old and about 6'1". I tried using those corrective pads—you know, the belts meant to compress the chest inward—but they didn't work at all. Honestly, I couldn't even wear them because the pain was unbearable. My question is: is surgery an option? If so, where can I get it done and what kind of cost are we looking at? Also, can this be covered by insurance? This is a massive aesthetic issue for me. It's summer, and I can't even go to the pool or hit the beach because I don't dare take my shirt off. Please, if anyone knows anything, help me out.

Maybe try building up your pectoral muscles if the protrusion isn't too extreme. That’s actually a solid way to mask milder cases.

Surgery should be your absolute last resort. Since this is an aesthetic concern rather than a strictly medical one, you'll likely have to pay out of pocket at a private plastic surgery clinic. I'm not entirely sure which clinics in America perform this specific procedure or if they even specialize in it. While you're sitting here waiting for someone on this forum who might know more, you should probably just Google some high-end surgical centers. And yeah, since you're still a minor, you're going to need your parents' signature for anything official.

Whether you want to call them man boobs or just some chest fat, whatever
I honestly have no clue how I ended up like this. All I know is that once I started hitting the push-ups and pull-ups, this thing just suddenly appeared out of nowhere. Now, I hear people saying I could probably fix it by focusing on chest exercises, but I’m actually kind of worried—because when I was doing push-ups, I think that might have actually made it worse? :/
Does anyone have specific exercises I should try just to get this to flatten out? :/
P.S. — It’s not even a huge deal, just a slight protrusion, but it still really bugs me. :/

So, my chest is sticking out—the right side is a bit more pronounced than the left. I saw a buddy of mine who has the same kind of chest shape; his is symmetrical and sticks out just like mine, but since he’s super skinny, it looks pretty rough on him. About two years ago, I started doing push-ups and some other stuff to pack on some mass because my ribs used to poke through sometimes. I managed to bulk up, but I've still got this rib protrusion and the asymmetry issue.
I looked into those braces or devices meant to help smooth things out (they won't fix it perfectly, but they should help a ton). Since I'm only 15, do you think they'll actually work for me? Some guy on a forum mentioned they helped his younger brother, who's also 15... Anyway, here's a photo (not mine):

My situation is about 85% the same, except my right side isn't quite as protruding compared to the left, and my ribs aren't visible.
Also, I gotta say, thanks to all that training, I actually have decent muscle definition when I flex, and it looks good. The only real headache is the chest area; the most protruding part is about 2 centimeters off from the left and 1 centimeter off from the right muscle (since the muscles aren't symmetrical, the chest isn't either).
If those devices actually work, what's the damage on price? And if anyone knows anything about surgery, please let me know.

So, look... I noticed nobody's really giving you guys any answers here, so I figured I'd just jump in myself.

My son is 17 now, but back when he was 15, we took him to see an orthopedic specialist to check out his spine (just to be clear, we went to this high-end private clinic in a small town to see a German doctor). During the exam, they suggested we pick up a corrective brace for pectus excavatum... honestly, nobody had ever mentioned to us before that even fixing that kind of thing was possible.

Anyway, long story short, we went to a specialized medical shop where they took precise measurements of him and had a custom brace built specifically for his frame.

He wore it for about two years, and man, it worked wonders... everything straightened right out. His chest looks completely normal now, and the kid has actually gained some muscle too. There isn't even a trace left of that weird protrusion that used to make him way too self-conscious to ever take off his shirt.

So, how much did that Orthopedic company charge you for the brace?
And honestly, is it even worth getting one from a government agency instead of a private shop?

Jerry Jones91 said:How much did that orthopedic company brace set you back? And honestly, is the one from the public system even worth bothering with?

Look... I honestly can't recall the exact price tag... but it wasn't exactly pocket change, especially when you consider how well it actually worked.

Plus, ours was custom-made by a private outfit... specifically OTOS in Cleveland... Dr. German just wrote us the prescription for what we needed, so we headed down there, they took some measurements, and whipped it up.

It’s pretty uncomfortable to wear at first, you know? Until you get used to it, anyway. It was really digging into him, especially around his sternum, but he was stubborn enough—and honestly, maybe a little too obsessed with how he looked—to power through wearing it twice as long as necessary just to get it over with.

And hey... it worked. He looks totally fine now... like nothing ever even happened.

Jerry Jones91 said:How much did that orthopedic brace run you? And honestly, is the one from a non-private provider actually any good?

The brace for chicken breast issues runs about $200 plus tax. They took my son's measurements at a BAUERFEIND orthopedic company location, and Dr. Irha—he’s a specialist orthopedic surgeon over at Dr. German’s hospital, who also sees patients on Fridays at the Saint Roch private clinic in Washington, D.C.—was the one who recommended this specific brace.

Dana Grant7 said:So... I’ve been looking around and noticing that none of you guys are getting any replies here. It's like shouting into a void, honestly. So, I figured, why not? I'll step up and be the one to answer.

So, my son is seventeen now... back when he was fifteen, we took him to see an orthopedic specialist to get his spine checked out. I should probably mention that we went to this private clinic in a small town to see a German doctor. During the exam, they actually suggested we go out and buy one of those brace things—you know, like those chest supports for poultry? Honestly, nobody had ever even mentioned to us that his alignment could be corrected like that before.

I won't linger on the details, but we ended up getting the brace from a specialized shop where they actually took the little one's measurements first to ensure everything was custom-fitted just right.

She wore that brace for two years straight, and honestly? It worked. Everything just settled back into place... her chest looks completely natural now. Even her boyfriend has noticed the difference—he's actually feeling more confident about it too. There isn’t even a trace of that awkward protrusion left, the one that used to make him terrified to ever take off a T-shirt.

I honestly can't thank you enough. You were the very first person to point us toward the idea that an actual brace even exists. My son is thirteen, and he’s been struggling with some issues on the right side of his chest. When we took him to the orthopedic specialists down in Savannah, they just brushed it off and told us to stick to basic exercises. After I stumbled upon your post here, I went back and specifically asked about this kind of corrective aid, only to be told by them that nothing like it even exists. Well, thanks to your insight, we finally have a plan in motion. We're currently waiting on the custom brace, which is being manufactured as we speak.
Thank you, and may God bless you all.

I’ve been reading up on pectus excavatum and was wondering if training can actually "fix" it? What kind of exercises would work best?
I'm 19 years old.
Here’s a photo taken from a straight angle: http://s1.postimg.org/tpp3nlxkv/1190...78188545_n.jpg
And here’s one from a slightly different perspective: http://s13.postimg.org/xce1giwpj/119...42250205_n.jpg