Does a sunken chest
make kids shorter?

2 studiesFrom my Instagram carousel

  1. After surgery, their height was back to average. The authors say growth "can be recovered by early correction." Weight still lagged. Park et al., Eur J Cardiothorac Surg 2016.
  2. The study: "A cross-sectional study for the development of growth of patients with pectus excavatum", European Journal of Cardio-Thoracic Surgery 2016, Park, Kim, Park, Moon. 1,371 patients, one hospital in Korea, height, weight and BMI, compared with national averages. In plain words: they measured patients and compared them with average Korean kids.
  3. Height: shorter, but only a little. Before surgery, an average height score of 139.2. National average, 140.7. The summary doesn't give units. The gap is small.
  4. Weight: the bigger gap. Before surgery, a BMI of 17.5. National average, 18.6. BMI is weight for height. Deeper dents were lighter still.
  5. Another study, same clue: just 35% of these kids were well nourished at the start. After 10 weeks of diet advice: 57.5%. Kahrıman et al., Pediatric Surgery International 2025, 40 kids.
  6. What this can't tell you. One: it compared groups at one moment, not the same kids growing over time. Two: one hospital in Korea, and the diet study had no comparison group. Three: numbers come from the study summaries.
  7. My take: the height gap is small. Weight is worth watching. That's why I made a 12-week weight-gain plan. I sell this plan, so weigh my take with that in mind.

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1,371 sunken chest patients were shorter and lighter than average. After surgery, their height was back to average. Their weight still lagged.

The authors say growth "can be recovered by early correction."

In another study, just 35% of 40 kids with a sunken chest were well nourished at the start.

The numbers

1,371
patients measured at one hospital in Korea, compared with national averages.Park 2016
139.2 vs 140.7
average height score before surgery, against the national average. The summary doesn't give units. The gap is small.Park 2016
17.5 vs 18.6
BMI before surgery, against the national average. BMI is weight for height. Deeper dents were lighter still.Park 2016
35% to 57.5%
of 40 kids were well nourished at the start, and after 10 weeks of diet advice.Kahrıman 2025

My take

The height gap is small. Weight is worth watching.

That's why I made a 12-week weight-gain plan. I sell this plan, so weigh my take with that in mind.

What this can't tell you

  • It compared groups at one moment. Not the same kids growing over time.
  • One hospital in Korea. The diet study had no comparison group.
  • Numbers come from the study summaries.

Sources

  1. Park HJ, Kim JJ, Park JK, Moon SW. A cross-sectional study for the development of growth of patients with pectus excavatum. Eur J Cardiothorac Surg. 2016;50(6):1102-1109. PubMed 27165768
  2. Kahrıman M, Çolak GA, Sağlam D, Yüksel M, Aslanhan S. Does nutritional education affect the nutritional status, growth, and development of children with pectus excavatum? Pediatr Surg Int. 2025;41(1):145. PubMed 40413687

Not medical advice.

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