Why is my sternum sticks out

The deformity varies in severity, ranging from a mild to severe indentation or protrusion. For example, a patient with a severe pectus excavatum may have only a few inches between his or her sternum and spine. Most patients have a slim chest and a slouching posture, and younger children commonly have potbellies.

What causes pectus excavatum and pectus carinatum? The deformity is thought to be caused by excessive growth of the costal cartilages ribs , although the reason for this is unknown. This overgrowth causes the ribs and cartilages to buckle and pushes the sternum either inward or outward.

Does the deformity become better or worse with age? The deformity is often noticeable at birth but becomes more apparent during the period of rapid skeletal growth in early adolescence. After the age of approximately 18, the deformity remains the same. Gaining weight and chest hair in men usually reduce the appearance of the deformity.

What are the symptoms associated with these conditions? Sometimes, no symptoms are noticed until the child participates in athletic or high-stress activities. As children, individuals with these defects are shy and many times will not participate in activities requiring their chest to be exposed, such as in swimming or athletic events. As the child grows older, the symptoms — becoming easily fatigued and decreased stamina and endurance — become apparent, especially during competitive athletics.

Also, adults in their twenties and thirties, as well as elderly adults, become very aware of this problem. If they have not participated in physical activities during high school, fitness programs produce easy fatigue and cardiac arrhythmias and tachycardias very fast heart rate during extensive physical or strenuous exercise. Moderate to very severe defects, in which the heart is displaced to the left of the sternum, or the midline, place undue pressure on the lung artery or pulmonary artery, which carries blood from the heart to the lungs.

This may cause a murmur, which is due to the pressure on the system causing rough, instead of smooth, flow. While uncommon, bleeding, infection, or the buildup of fluid or air around your lungs are possibilities.

Pectus carinatum is non-life-threatening. The majority of children who are diagnosed are able to live normal lives. For children who do require medical intervention, results can usually be seen within a short period of time. Those who opt for treatment have high rates of satisfaction. Learn all about uneven rib cages. An uneven rib cage can cause problems with your breathing and posture.

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In some cases, it runs in families. A pushed-out chest is the chief sign of pectus carinatum. This usually doesn't appear until a child is age 11 or older, even though the condition is present at birth. The chest wall surrounds and protects the heart and lungs. So kids and teens with pectus carinatum may:. Some can develop asthma or get a lot of respiratory infections.

Pectus carinatum can affect one side of the chest more than the other. Sometimes, kids have pectus carinatum on one side of the chest, and a different chest wall disorder — pectus excavatum — on the other side. It is not clear why this happens, but the condition tends to run in families. Chest wall deformities often first become noticeable early, when a child is 1 or 2 years old.

Children with a chest wall deformity may have no symptoms at all, other than feeling self conscious about their appearance. However, some children experience difficulty breathing during exercise and are prone to respiratory infections and asthma. Children with either type of chest wall deformity are at increased risk of developing scoliosis. Depending on the type and severity of the deformity, chest wall deformities are often treated with surgery, a brace or no treatment at all.

Surgeons used to recommend surgery for children as young as 4, an age when bones are softer and easier to reposition. But too often, the condition would return, especially during growth spurts.