Barrel chest

Jellybaby

New member
May sound weird but I hear it's common in cf....Does anybody have a really big ribcage? I can't imagine it being as big a problem for guys but for girls it's awful! it really bothers me I'm 17 and it's impossible to find nice clothes/dresses etc and because I'm so skinny everywhere else my body just looks out of proportion! What exactly causes it!? Any advice would be great! Thanks :)
 

azdesertrat

New member
Yes Jelly, I have the classic CF barrel chest too. It sucks because between the distended belly & skinny arms & legs, I was constantly teased when I was a teen-ager. Kids can be so cruel. I was called an Ethiopian, among lots worse. I hope you don't suffer through your teens near as much as I did. High school was torture, every day. My body still looks horribly out of proportion. Stay strong, OK?
 

Shani

New member
My daughter is also 17 and her larger than normal rib cage really disturbs her. Unfortunately there isn't a great deal you can do about it. Her FEV1 is over 100% so it's not like she has really progressive lung disease.
 

eganhouselisa

New member
I am 35 and I have a barrel chest also - I find it a problem when trying to buy dresses - I was recently a bridesmaid and had to buy a size 16 dress, when my normal size, like for jeans, is 6! Sometimes bras are hard to find too to be big enough around but not too huge in the cup! I don't know what causes it, but there's not a lot you can do about it, unfortunately - I try to just see it as the way God wanted me to be!
 
K

kgfrompa

Guest
In the last six months this has happened to me My chest is Barrel and clothing is so hard to hide my belly while my size in pants is the same,I will be following this post thank you for letting me know it is not just me!
 

Jellybaby

New member
Thanks guys for the feedback....at least I'm not alone! :) it is really hard to find clothes and everything in trousers I'm size 8 normally and a lot of the time for tshirts etc I end up having to buy a size 14 or 16 sometimes 18 it's crazy!! Ino if I didn't have such a barrel chest I would look reasonably good which is annoying :( xx
 

Liza

New member
It's caused by air trappage (probably my own made up word). Many will also have rounded shoulders which is caused by all the coughing and often times will accentuate the barrel chestedness. My oldest daughter, Anna', had a barrel chest with slightly rounded shoulders. There really isn't much you can do, it may be slightly decreased by trying to keep your shoulders back and with breathing exercises. I've heard standing up against the wall, arms straight up taking in deep breaths and expelling and raised arm (hands clasped behind you and raising them) exercises, rolling you shoulders backwards, could also possibly help. My daughter's decreased some after her transplant, but the larger chest gave her an advantage to accommodate larger lungs than she would have if she wasn't barrel chested.
 

SaraNoH

New member
Awesome article.
I went to a national physical therapy conference last January and there was a 2 day seminar on PT for CF patients and one of the big issues they tackled was postural dysfunction. It's interesting stuff and important to know.
 

CyrilCrodius

New member
Awesome article.
I went to a national physical therapy conference last January and there was a 2 day seminar on PT for CF patients and one of the big issues they tackled was postural dysfunction. It's interesting stuff and important to know.
Interesting. Was there any hint to barrel chest being something that can be partially or fully corrected in adults through physical therapy?
 
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