Is the use of the suction cup still useful for adults?
The treatment is especially useful for a not very pronounced funnel chest. Children and adolescents have an advantage due to the not yet completed growth phase that the therapy leads to success. However, adults can also benefit from the effect of the suction cup. On the one hand, the suction cup can be used before surgery, so that the operation is not as serious as before. On the other hand, the thorax remains raised for up to several hours after the treatments before it sinks again, making it possible, for example, to go to the swimming pool for purely cosmetic complaints.
How long does the suction bell application take?
Regular and consistent use of the suction cup is important for successful treatment. The importance of daily use is often compared to wearing braces. Here, too, the straightening of the teeth can only be achieved by wearing them consistently.
Therefore, the suction cup must be used every day for a funnel chest. The suction cup should initially be used 3 times a day for at least half an hour, the times can then be gradually increased to a total of 3 hours a day. The time can also be shortened for small children or more sensitive persons, depending on how much the person concerned can tolerate.
In any case, daily use should be as often and as long as possible. The first lasting treatment successes – i.e. an initial correction of the chest wall malposition – usually occur after 6 months. In other cases, the chest wall is only erected after one year. The treatment with the suction cup usually takes two to three years.
Costs of treatment with suction cup
If the costs for the therapy of the funnel chest by the suction bell are not covered by the health insurance companies, the patient has to pay them himself. These costs are currently a little over 600,-€. Visits to the doctor due to a funnel chest and diagnostics, for example to find out whether internal organs are affected by the funnel chest, are covered by the health insurance.
The costs for the suction bell are often not covered by health insurance.The financial burden then lies with the patients or their relatives or parents. Therefore it is important to ask the respective health insurance company under which conditions the costs can be covered. The best way to proceed in such cases should be discussed with the attending physician, who is usually more familiar with the application and cost coverage.
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