What is the cause of the child's sternum protrusion?

It is said that children are the flowers of the motherland. It is the common wish of all parents that every child can grow up healthily. However, there are always some problems on the road of children's growth. Sternum protrusion in children is a common phenomenon in life. We must pay great attention to it. There are many reasons for this situation. Let's understand what is going on with sternum protrusion in children.

Children's sternal protrusion means that the sternum protrudes forward significantly, while the ribs on both sides tilt downward and inward, causing the chest to become like the sternum of a chicken, pigeon, or bird, hence the name "pigeon chest".

The protrusion of the left sternum is mostly caused by rickets in children, that is, the body lacks sufficient vitamin D, which causes calcium and phosphorus absorption disorders, osteomalacia, and the connection between the chest ribs and the sternum sinks inward, causing the sternum to bulge forward, forming pigeon chest. This deformity often forms around 1 year old, but in fact, the pigeon chest we see after 2 to 3 years old is the sequelae of rickets in children. In addition to pigeon chest, children often have other deformities, such as square head, "X" shaped legs, "O" shaped legs, etc.?

In addition to affecting the appearance of the body, severe pigeon chest can also affect circulation and respiratory functions due to the inward-concave ribs on both sides compressing the heart and lungs. Children are prone to fatigue and repeated respiratory infections.

For children under 3 years old with pectus carinatum, anti-rickets treatment should be actively given, including calcium and vitamin D supplementation. However, for children over 3 years old, most of them are sequelae, and calcium and vitamin D treatment is ineffective. Generally, mild pectus carinatum will gradually disappear with physical growth. Strengthening physical exercise, such as chest expansion exercises, push-ups, head-raising exercises, etc., two to three times a day, can accelerate the correction of deformities.

Generally speaking, mild pectus carinatum does not have a significant impact on the heart and lungs, and the current results of surgical treatment of pectus carinatum are not satisfactory. In addition, boys can improve the appearance of pectus carinatum deformity by strengthening the pectoralis major muscles during their growth and development period to make them plump and strong. After puberty, the development of the breasts of girls also compensates for the deformity of the sternum in appearance. Therefore, unless the deformity is severe, surgical treatment is generally not recommended.

By understanding what is going on with a child's sternum protrusion, parents should not be too anxious if they encounter this situation in our lives. They should make timely adjustments based on the condition of the child and not blindly give the child medication. At the same time, they should try to make the child's diet balanced and not let the child develop a picky eating habit, which will be very harmful to the body.