What Is The Scientific Name Of Rib Cage?

The rib cage, a bony, cartilaginous structure and core portion of a human skeleton, surrounds the chest, or thoracic, cavity and supports the shoulder, or pectoral, girdle. It typically consists of the sternum, 24 ribs, costal cartilages and 12 thoracic vertebrae.

The rib cage provides attachments for back, lower abdomen, thorax and neck muscles. In combination with skin and associated muscles and fascia, the rib cage makes up the so-called thoracic wall, hence its scientific name of thoracic cage.

• A Human Rib Cage and the Respiratory System

As previously stated, the rib cage surrounds the chest cavity. This, among other things, contains the lungs. Inhalation is performed by the muscular diaphragm, located at the thoracic cavity's floor, contracting and flattening, while at the same time the intercostal muscles contract, lifting the rib cage out and up. Belly breathing is another way of expanding the thoracic cavity during inhalation. In this case, the diaphragm also contracts, but lower ribs are now stabilized.

Because of this, the central tendon, instead of remaining stable and raising the ribs, moves down and compresses the so-called sub-thoracic cavity as the muscle contracts. This allows both lungs and thoracic cavity to expand downward. The increase in volume produced by these actions results in negative pressure, or a partial vacuum, within the thoracic cavity. Atmospheric pressure then inflates the lungs by pushing air into them. Exhalation is the result of intercostal muscles and diaphragm relaxing, causing an elastic recoil, or contraction, of the expanded rib cage, expelling air.

• Human Rib Cage Make-up

All ribs are connected with the thoracic vertebrae at the back. The upper seven, so-called true ribs at the top are attached by costal cartilages to the sternum. Their elasticity allows the movement during inhalation and exhalation. The so-called false ribs, namely ribs number eight, nine and ten, are joined with the cartilages of the above ribs.

Due to the lack of anterior connections to the sternum, ribs 11 and 12 are referred to as floating ribs. The intercostal spaces between ribs contain nerves, arteries and the intercostal muscles.