Will’s Pectus Carinatum treatment story

Maria, Will’s mother, first noticed that there was something wrong with his chest during the summer of 2020. “It was so obvious” she says, “because we could make a direct comparison with his brother, and it did not look anything like his brother’s chest, his chest and ribs were sticking out.”

Due to the Covid pandemic, the UK was still in lockdown, so Maria hit the internet to find out what was causing the problem. She learned about pectus carinatum, a chest wall deformity characterised by an outward protrusion of the sternum and ribs. It’s also known as “pigeon chest” because the chest may resemble the shape of a pigeon’s breast. It’s quite a common condition affecting 1 in 1,500 people.

“I searched for people who could help treat the condition and found LOC. We were delighted to find that LOC had a clinic in Kingston, as we live nearby”. As it was lockdown, a virtual consultation was arranged and one of LOC’s pectus clinicians confirmed the diagnosis and explained LOC’s non-surgical treatment for the condition.

It was agreed that because of his age (he was 11 years old at the time), it would be best to start treatment when he was a bit older.

Fast forward to 2023 and Will had his braces fitted in April; one for his chest and one for his ribs. Prior to the fitting, Will’s torso was scanned to provide the dimensions for his bespoke braces; the scans also provide an objective measurement of his chest pre-treatment which can be used as the benchmark for judging how well treatment is progressing at later reviews.

Will is under the care of Connor Mumford, one of LOC’s specialist pectus clinicians. Maria adds, “Connor is super helpful and takes a lot of time to make sure that the braces are as comfortable as possible; Will is going through a major growth spurt at the moment so the braces do need adjusting regularly. We never feel rushed at our appointments.”

At one of the reviews in September interim scans were taken of Will’s chest and these showed how much improvement in his chest shape had already been achieved. This is a testament to Will’s compliance with the required wearing regime and the weekly pectus yoga classes with Alva Yoga. Will takes the flexibility classes which are focused on opening the shoulders and chest, building strength there as well as in the legs and back muscles. The objective is to lengthen the spine, increase flexibility and improve mobility, all of which promote a better posture.

Will has also recently begun to wear a new brace with 3D printed clips: “Will really likes it, it’s less clunky than the original one that had metal straps and is more discreet under clothing.”

For the moment, Will is continuing with the full-time wearing regime. Connor comments: “Will’s chest looks excellent and is quite stable, there is a bit more work needed on the ribs. At the original face-to-face assessment, I told Maria and Will that the goal was 90 % correction and we are well on our way to achieving that milestone.”

If you or your child is worried about pectus carinatum or if you’re unsure about treatment options, you can book a free online pectus consultation with one of our pectus specialists today.

We also offer a free photo diagnosis where you can send us photos of your chest and one of our orthotists will get back to you with their assessment.