Hi, I am a public health nurse and had a family bring their infant in to clinic for immunizations and had some concerns re. their daughters bottom left rib flares out. I assessed this myself and it does indeed flare out significantly. What is the cause for this?
It seems to be associated with some amount of respiratory distress, although it is hard to comment without examining physically. In case of a child, if the accessory muscles of respiration need to be active, it indicates respiratory distress which is also manifested by increase in rate of breathing. However, if it is transient, it could also be due to crying in pain where you need not worry. Please visit a pediatrician and get the child assessed depending on the situation.