# Does my ribcage abnormality have a name? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 28, 2006, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-my-ribcage-abnormality-have-a-name/342020 "2006-01-28T23:05:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c77e96/32.png) [@Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Speaker_for_the_Dead)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2006, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-my-ribcage-abnormality-have-a-name/342020/1 "2006-01-28T23:05:40Z")
I don’t see this as a violation of the board’s “don’t ask for a diagnosis” rule for two reasons. Firstly, I’ve had it all my life, and I’m not dead yet. Secondly, no doctor who’s ever seen it has commented on it, so it’s obviously not something major. Still, I’d like to put a name to it. To put it briefly, my ribs aren’t even. The right-hand side of my ribcage sticks out further than the left-hand side. The bulge is right next to my sternum; beyond that, my ribs on both sides are pretty normal. I don’t know what else to include, so I’ll let people ask questions if there’s any unclearness. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2006, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-my-ribcage-abnormality-have-a-name/342020/2 "2006-01-28T23:12:12Z")
I have the same think except my left side is higher. It was a big deal when I was a skinny teenager and my friends would make fun of me. I was always worried when I went to the doctor but none ever said anything about it to me either. It straightened out some over the ways and isn’t as noticeable since I filled out. I read a lot of medical type nonfiction and have never heard it mentioned. I am kind of glad I am not the only one. ---
**Author:** ![minor7flat5](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minor7flat5/32/258_2.png) [@minor7flat5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minor7flat5)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2006, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-my-ribcage-abnormality-have-a-name/342020/3 "2006-01-28T23:17:56Z")
Same here, except _my_ family doctor actually said something about it :). When I was a skinny teenager and I went to the doctor, he casually mentioned to me that I have “pigeon breast,” and said that it’s nothing to get worried about. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2006, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-my-ribcage-abnormality-have-a-name/342020/4 "2006-01-28T23:47:47Z")
My yoga teacher says that pretty much everybody has some amount of ribcage or substernum asymmetry. (On me, it’s the right side that’s more prominent.) Don’t know what causes it. Is it handedness-related? I think being pigeon-breasted is generally considered a different phenomenon, though; it means having a prominent sternum, not necessarily an asymmetrical one. ---
**Author:** ![dogge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f1d935/32.png) [@dogge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dogge)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2013, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-my-ribcage-abnormality-have-a-name/342020/5 "2013-07-03T04:06:56Z")
Hi. I also have ribs sticking out on my chest. I really want to contact you. Did you ever find the name for it. Please contact me at [spiderleedark@yahoo.com](mailto:spiderleedark@yahoo.com). ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2013, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-my-ribcage-abnormality-have-a-name/342020/6 "2013-07-03T12:41:55Z")
It may be a result of kyphoscoliosis. From [UpToDate.com](http://UpToDate.com): > [@](#): > > Kyphosis represents anteroposterior angulation of the spine and is a normal finding in most individuals. Scoliosis represents lateral displacement or curvature of the spine. When the angulation of kyphosis is excessive and/or moderate to severe scoliosis is present, severe rib distortion may result. Scoliosis is usually associated with increased kyphosis, but kyphosis can occur in isolation. It’s generally known as rib asymmetry. I’m not aware of a fancy latin medical term for it, but one probably exists. Googling same can provide a wealth of information. Most folks do not have perfectly symmetric rib cages, so it’s rarely a big deal. ---
**Author:** ![Nametag](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nametag/32/406_2.png) [@Nametag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nametag)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2013, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-my-ribcage-abnormality-have-a-name/342020/7 "2013-07-04T06:30:22Z")
Pectus asymmetricum? ---
**Author:** ![Isilder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/cc9497/32.png) [@Isilder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isilder)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2013, 6:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-my-ribcage-abnormality-have-a-name/342020/8 "2013-07-04T06:42:29Z")
Pigeon breast = Pectus carinatum > **[Pectus carinatum](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pectus_carinatum)** > > Pectus carinatum, also called pigeon chest, is a malformation of the chest characterized by a protrusion of the sternum and ribs. It is distinct from the related malformation pectus excavatum. > People with pectus carinatum usually develop normal hearts and lungs, but the malformation may prevent these from functioning optimally. In moderate to severe cases of pectus carinatum, the chest wall is rigidly held in an outward position. Thus, respirations are inefficient and the individual needs to use... But minor assymetry of ribs might be just that and not pigeon-breast (if the derformation is confined to the ribs of one side, then the pectus is not involved ?) ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2013, 7:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-my-ribcage-abnormality-have-a-name/342020/9 "2013-07-04T07:45:49Z")
Pectus is not the breastbone (which is sternum in Latin), it’s the chest and specially the upper chest (hence “pectoral cross”, a cross worn over the chest, or pectoral as “a piece of armor covering the chest”). So, anything involving the ribcage involves the pectus. ---
**Author:** ![Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c77e96/32.png) [@Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Speaker_for_the_Dead)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2013, 11:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-my-ribcage-abnormality-have-a-name/342020/10 "2013-07-04T11:29:44Z")
**Speaker** from 7.5 years ago thanks you! Since then, I’ve actually gone through some health training and I realise that my chest is just a mild case of _zombie pectus carinatum_. Strangely, I’m still self-conscious about it and try not to go out without a shirt on. I should probably work on that. ---
**Author:** ![Chief\_Pedant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a6a055/32.png) [@Chief\_Pedant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chief_Pedant)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2013, 11:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-my-ribcage-abnormality-have-a-name/342020/11 "2013-07-04T11:33:38Z")
Chest deformities involving abnormal protrusion of the chest are variations on pectus carinatum. They are commonly asymmetric and thought to be secondary to growth abnormality occurring at the cartilaginous intersection of the ribs and the sternum. Sometimes abnormal development will create a hollow instead of a pigeon breast–in that case it’s pectus excavatum. But the growth abnormality is probably the same regardless of which way the sternum buckles. These conditions are occasionally significant functionally and can be corrected for functional or cosmetic reasons.