We often see on TV or in movies that some movie stars or athletes have a little bulge at the bottom of their ribs like the picture below, but this is very different from the so-called thin and sexy, this phenomenon is actually a very bad posture – rib roll. In fact, most people have some rib cage, maybe we just don’t notice it ourselves, or just because it doesn’t affect our body much, but in the long run, rib cage can bring some health and appearance problems to our body. How does rib exostosis happen? What can be done to correct it? Let’s talk about rib ectropion. The back end is interconnected with the thoracic vertebrae, and the front end is only connected to the sternum with the help of cartilage, called the true ribs; the 8th-12th ribs are called false ribs, where the 8th-10th ribs are connected to the cartilage of the previous rib by rib cartilage, forming a rib arch, and the front ends of the 11th and 12th ribs are free, also called floating ribs. Rib exostosis is a phenomenon in which the lowermost rib extends beyond the outer edge of the body and usually occurs in the 7th to 10th ribs. The ribs play an important role in spinal stability and the position of the thoracic cavity determines the functional integrity of the neck, shoulder, scapula and lumbar spine, where any rib or thoracic disorder can result in abnormal movement patterns and function of the upper body, such as impaired shoulder function, and they compensate through function to other joints in the body. Also any rib or chest deformity does not look good when the top is removed during swimming or other activities. Causes of rib ectropion 1. Rib ectropion occurs mostly in children. This is usually due to congenital deformities or their own developmental problems. 2, genetic factors. Some people will have a genetic predisposition to rib ectropion. 3.Disrupted breathing pattern. When we breathe naturally, the diaphragm contracts and the chest space becomes larger, expanding the lungs and opening the rib cage in all directions. But when we have a wrong breathing pattern, the ribs open in a way that they are thrust forward and not spread out to the sides and back, while the neck muscles are activated to help lift the ribs, which leads to a weakened abdominal respiratory cluster and rib ectropion. 4. Excessive anterior convexity of the lumbar spine stage. Our spine has a physiological curvature, the cervical and lumbar vertebral segments are convex forward, and now most people have more or less anterior pelvic tilt problems, such a bad posture will lead to excessive forward convexity of our lumbar vertebral segments, thus causing rib ectropion. 5, abdominal muscle group strength is too weak. We have always said to lift the chest and head abdomen, but more sedentary people will appear to collapse the waist and chest posture. The rectus abdominis muscle is excessively stretched, resulting in abdominal weakness, a section of the abdomen is connected to the low end of the rib cage, one end is connected to the low end of the pelvis, so when the abdomen is weak, the rib cage is excessively open to the outside, thus causing the symptoms of rib ectropion. 6. The angle of forward flexion of the shoulder joint is limited. When you lift your hands upward, if the shoulder joint is restricted, the back will be tilted forward excessively, which will lead to rib ectropion. 7, trauma. Rib ectropion or malalignment can be caused by physical trauma, including rib fractures or muscle sprains. Is left-sided rib exostosis more common? Most reports indicate that left-sided rib ectropion is more common than right-sided rib ectropion, with idiopathic scoliosis being the culprit. In addition, rib ectropion is associated with shoulder imbalance. If the left rib is ectropion, the left shoulder must be higher than the right shoulder, which can easily lead to muscle tension and subsequent nerve entrapment resulting in numbness throughout the arm and shoulder. Left-sided rib ectropion often results in right rotation of the lumbar spine and compensatory left rotation of the thoracic spine, and in response to left rotation of the thoracic spine, the rib cage will be externally rotated, looking as if the rib cage has been opened, and in contrast, the right rib cage will be internally rotated. This series of changes leads to further asymmetry of the diaphragm, which in severe and rare cases compresses the space of the heart, leading to chest pain and pain in the heart region. How does rib expansion affect breathing patterns? The correct breathing pattern is achieved by the correct work of the diaphragm. When inhaling, the diaphragm contracts, providing more space for the lungs to expand. When doing some of the above mentioned exercises, the surrounding stabilizing muscles increase the extension of the chest. The main job of the neck muscles during breathing is to lift the chest cavity upward. The problem here is that when you suffer from rib expansion, the abdominal muscles are weak. They need to pull the chest down during exhalation, however, muscle imbalance can lead to irregular breathing. Exhalation problems and false breathing If the neck muscles are stronger than your abdominal muscles, it may be possible to inhale more air, but have difficulty in exhaling. Repeating a faulty breathing pattern for a long time can lead to a lot of muscle imbalances and problems, which can be harmful to your health. What are the effects of rib ectropion When rib ectropion occurs, it is usually easy to ignore because there are no painful symptoms, but it does not mean that rib ectropion does not have any harmful effects. Second, the spine becomes less flexible: the back end of the ribs is connected to the thoracic vertebrae, and long-term rib ectropion can lead to straightening of the physiological curvature of the thoracic vertebrae, which affects the flexibility of the spine Third, it affects breathing: when breathing, the diaphragm pressure becomes smaller, the abdominal muscles become weaker, the breathing pattern is affected, and breathing becomes shallow Fourth, it causes back pain: with the wrong breathing pattern, the physiological curvature of the spine becomes straighter The pelvis may be accompanied by the emergence of anterior pelvic tilt, which is likely to cause low back pain V. Shoulder pain: also because of the physiological curvature of the lumbar vertebrae, the upper back and thoracic vertebrae are excessively elongated, the shoulder joint is overcompensated easy to cause shoulder pain VI. Rib pain: prolonged rib ectropion can lead to inflammation of the ribs and cause pain If you have the above situation, then you must pay attention to your rib ectropion and improve it in a timely manner. But before you can improve it, you must first find the cause of the rib exostosis. How can we correct rib ectropion? Rib ectropion is a phenomenon that can occur in people of all ages. In the case of adolescent ectropion, the first step is to give the child calcium supplements, such as sunlight or calcium-containing foods. We can also help the child correct it with touch, but if the ectropion is still severe later, surgery is needed. Adults with rib ectropion also need to do some exercise training to correct it, such as some abdominal training, mainly to play a balancing role and training breathing role, not only to improve the situation of rib ectropion, but also to adjust their posture. Likewise, patients with severe rib ectropion need surgery to correct it. Wearing a brace The poor posture caused by rib ectropion can, over time, lead to weakening of the surrounding muscles, which can have more serious consequences. We can stop the deterioration process by exercising and stretching, but do not ignore the fact that the bones are deformed, as this will not be fixed overnight, and also do not be influenced by statements that the bones are totally dependent on genes and cannot be reshaped or changed. According to Wolff’s Law, bones can be reshaped and strengthened over time if the proper external pressure is applied to them. By wearing the proper chest support and applying the proper external pressure to the rib cage, the bones and muscles are held in the proper area, which is extremely beneficial in correcting rib ectropion. Posture correction and exercises Most patients with rib ectropion tend to have uneven tightness of the chest muscles, weak back muscles, forward leaning shoulders and forward head posture Shoulder dislocation exercise Don’t be put off by the name, this exercise will not dislocate the shoulder. This movement will put the shoulder in the correct position and stretch the tight pectoral muscles, while also strengthening the upper back muscles.