Rib Cage | Anatomy & Function - Britannica

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External Websites

• WebMD - Rib Cage: What to know
• Medicine LibreTexts - The Thoracic Cage
• Frontiers - Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology - How Does the Rib Cage Affect the Biomechanical Properties of the Thoracic Spine? A Systematic Literature Review
• Cleveland Clinic - Rib Cage
• OpenStax - Anatomy and Physiology 2e - The Thoracic Cage
• Nature - Scientific Reports - The influence of the rib cage on the static and dynamic stability responses of the scoliotic spine
• CiteseerX - Rib cage muscle interaction in airway pressure generation (PDF)
• Teach Me Anatomy - The Ribs
• National Library of Medicine - The rib cage stabilizes the human thoracic spine: An in vitro study using stepwise reduction of rib cage structures
• Open Oregon Educational Resources - Anatomy and Physiology 2e - The Thoracic Cage

rib cage anatomy Ask Anything Homework Help Also known as: thoracic basket Written and fact-checked by Britannica Editors Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... Britannica Editors Last updated Jan. 23, 2026 •History Britannica AI Ask Anything Table of Contents Table of Contents Ask Anything

rib cage, in vertebrate anatomy, basketlike skeletal structure that forms the chest, or thorax, and is made up of the ribs and their corresponding attachments to the sternum (breastbone) and the vertebral column. The rib cage surrounds the lungs and the heart, serving as an important means of bony protection for these vital organs.In total, the rib cage consists of the 12 thoracic vertebrae and the 24 ribs, in addition to the sternum. With each succeeding rib, from the first, or uppermost, the curvature of the rib cage becomes more open. The rib cage is semirigid but expansile, able to increase in size. The small joints between the ribs and the vertebrae permit a gliding motion of the ribs on the vertebrae during breathing and other activities.

Related Topics: rib sternum costal cartilage torso thoracic vertebra (Show more) See all related content

The first seven ribs in the rib cage are attached to the sternum by pliable cartilages called costal cartilages; these ribs are called true ribs. Of the remaining five ribs, which are called false, the first three have their costal cartilages connected to the cartilage above them. The last two, the floating ribs, have their cartilages ending in the muscle in the abdominal wall. The configuration of the lower five ribs gives freedom for the expansion of the lower part of the rib cage and for the movements of the diaphragm, which has an extensive origin from the rib cage and the vertebral column. The motion is limited by the ligamentous attachments between ribs and vertebrae.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica This article was most recently revised and updated by Rick Livingston.