Simple treatment for pigeon chest gives young sufferers fresh hope
Pectus carinatum badly deforms its victims' chests. A new treatment is reshaping their rib cages and their lives, writes Jeanette Wang
As a child, Henry loved to swim. But when he realised how different he looked to other boys in a swimsuit, he just wanted to stay at home.
The 16-year-old was born with a deformity of the chest over the sternum, which gave him a bird-like appearance - a condition known as "pigeon chest" or pectus carinatum.
If you don't do anything about it, the condition won't get better by itself
"I saw I was different from others and felt embarrassed," says Henry, an only child whose name has been changed for reasons of patient confidentiality.
His mother scoured the internet for information about the condition and to find a treatment. She discovered a company in the US that makes chest orthoses that can correct the shape of the rib cage, in a similar way that braces can straighten crooked teeth.
Hong Kong Sanatorium and Hospital has offered the brace at its Prosthetic and Orthotics Unit since September 2011.
In October last year, Henry was fitted with the brace, which was custom made in the US for his bones. Within three months of constantly wearing the brace - except while showering - and with regular adjustments to increase its compression, the shape of his rib cage normalised.