Human rib cage

The human rib cage, also known as the thoracic cage, is a bony and cartilaginous structure which surrounds the thoracic cavity and supports the pectoral girdle, forming a core portion of the human skeleton. A typical human rib cage consists of 24 ribs, the sternum (with Xiphoid process , costal cartilages, and the !2 thoracic vertebrae. "t, along with the skin and associated fascia and muscles, makes up the thoracic wall and provides attachments for the muscles of the neck, thora#, upper abdomen, and back.

Thorcic cage

$ideview of heart and ribs

Ribs The ribs are elastic arches of bone, which form a large part of the thoracic skeleton. They are twelve in number on either side% but this number may be increased by the development of a cervical or lumbar rib, or may be diminished to eleven. All ribs attach posteriorly to the thoracic vertebrae and curve inferiorly toward the anterior body surface. The superior seven rib pairs attach directly to the sternum. These are true or vertebrosternal ribs. The remaining five pairs of ribs are called false ribs because they either attach indirectly to the sternum or entirely lack a sternal attachment. &ib pairs '(!) attach to the sternum indirectly. The ribs increase in length from pair ! to pair *, then decrease in length from pair ' to pair !2. +#cept for the first rib, which lies deep to the clavicle, the ribs are easily felt in people of normal weight.

A typical rib, rib 6.

The ribs consist of highly vascular cancellous tissue, enclosed in a thin layer of compact bone. A typical rib is a bowed flat bone. The bulk of a rib is simply called the shaft. "ts superior border is smooth, but its inferior border is sharp and thin and has a costal groove on its inner face that lodges the intercostal nerves and blood vessels. "n addition to the shaft, each rib has a head, neck, and tubercle.

X,ray image of ribs

The neck is the flattened portion which e#tends lateralward from the head% it is about 2.- cm. long, and is placed in front of the transverse process of the lower of the two vertebr. with which the head articulates. "ts anterior surface is flat and smooth, itsposterior rough for the attachment of the ligament of the neck. The body or shaft is thin and flat, with two surfaces, an e#ternal and an internal% and two borders, a superior and an inferior. The external surface is conve#, smooth. Internal surface is concave, smooth, directed a little upward.

First Rib./The first rib is the most curved and usually the shortest of all the ribs.

0irst rib

Second Rib./The second rib is much longer than the first, but has a very similar curvature.

$econd rib

Reference
http122en.wikipedia.org2wiki2&ib http122en.wikipedia.org2wiki23uman4rib4cage http122education.yahoo.com2reference2gray2sub5ects2sub5ect22' 3uman Anatomy 6 7hysiology (8inth +dition +laine 8. 9arieb, :at5a 3oehn