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What is the Thoracic Cage?

Vanessa Harvey
Vanessa Harvey

The thoracic cage is also known as the rib cage. It is composed of 12 pairs of ribs attached to the posterior of the body via 12 vertebrae known as the thoracic spine, a part of the backbone located just beneath the cervical spine, or neck. The protection of vital organs such as the heart, lungs, liver and stomach is an extremely important function of the thoracic cage.

Only the upper 10 pairs of ribs are attached to the anterior, or front part, of the body. As the upper seven pairs curve around the sides toward the front, each rib meets with a thin piece of cartilage, a very tough but flexible tissue. That cartilage extends to where it attaches to the sternum, commonly referred to as the breastbone.

The thoracic cage.
The thoracic cage.

The eighth, ninth, and 10th pairs also wrap around to the anterior of the body, but the cartilage that connects them to the sternum is shared instead of being individual pieces. There is no anterior attachment of the 11th and 12th pairs of ribs, which is why they commonly are referred to as the "floating" ribs. Illustrations and an X-ray of the anterior thoracic cage might show only a portion of the 11th rib pair, and the 12th pair tends to be so short that it will not show at all except from a lateral or posterior view of the body.

It sometimes requires cutting through the sternum to reach inside the thoracic cage during surgery.
It sometimes requires cutting through the sternum to reach inside the thoracic cage during surgery.

Costal cartilage connecting the pairs of ribs to the sternum prevents the entire thoracic cage from being composed of bone. This is important because respiration is dependent upon the expansion and contraction of the chest cavity, and bone is too hard to allow for the flexibility in the chest cavity that is needed in order to be able to breathe. The thoracic cage's shape is referred to as a cage because it encloses most of the body's torso, and the rib pairs create the appearance of bars similar to those of a cage.

The rib cage includes 12 pairs of ribs, the sternum and 12 vertebrae.
The rib cage includes 12 pairs of ribs, the sternum and 12 vertebrae.

Laypeople should not expect to be able to palpate the floating rib pairs or the costal cartilage that forms part of the thoracic cage. A fracture of any part of the ribs can cause extreme discomfort and injury to the organs of the chest cavity. For example, automobile accidents can cause a person's chest to be suddenly and very forcefully compressed against the steering wheel, resulting in the fracture of one or more ribs that could stab the heart, a lung, the liver or the stomach and cause an internal hemorrhage.

Discussion Comments

cloudel

Damage to the thoracic cage is really bad, because there’s not a whole lot that doctors can do for it, other than brace you up and wait for you to heal. When my husband was a teenager, he broke a rib, but his dad refused to take him to the hospital.

I really think it would have helped him to be in a cast for awhile and rest, but his dad was the drill sergeant type. He expected his son to get back to work right away.

Even now, he still experiences problems with that rib. Sometimes he will feel it catch in his back, and it causes a stabbing pain.

Perdido

My thoracic cage offers less protection to my kidneys than it should. This is because my kidneys are enlarged due to polycystic kidney disease.

In people with regular kidneys, the bottom few ribs protect the upper portion of their kidneys. The lower part is protected by muscle and skin only.

However, mine are greatly enlarged because of the multiple cysts that grow on them. They hang down further beneath the thoracic cage than they should. So, my doctor told me never to play contact sports or ride a horse, because if the area of my kidneys should receive a hard hit, either from the ground, another player, or a ball, they could be seriously damaged.

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    • The thoracic cage.
      By: Jaeeho
      The thoracic cage.
    • It sometimes requires cutting through the sternum to reach inside the thoracic cage during surgery.
      By: Arkady Chubykin
      It sometimes requires cutting through the sternum to reach inside the thoracic cage during surgery.
    • The rib cage includes 12 pairs of ribs, the sternum and 12 vertebrae.
      By: pixdesign123
      The rib cage includes 12 pairs of ribs, the sternum and 12 vertebrae.
    • Chest compressions administered during CPR may result in fractured ribs.
      By: Riccardo Piccinini
      Chest compressions administered during CPR may result in fractured ribs.
    • Medical imaging studies may be conducted to diagnose thoracic cage injuries.
      By: EPSTOCK
      Medical imaging studies may be conducted to diagnose thoracic cage injuries.
    • Injuries to the thoracic cage may be extremely painful, and little treatment beyond rest and ice and NSAIDs is available.
      By: jovannig
      Injuries to the thoracic cage may be extremely painful, and little treatment beyond rest and ice and NSAIDs is available.
    • The 12th pair of ribs may not show up on an X-ray.
      By: Samu
      The 12th pair of ribs may not show up on an X-ray.