The rib muscles
Intercostal muscles · musculi intercostales
Thin layers of muscle between your ribs that lift and lower the ribcage as you breathe.
What it does
Three layers of muscle fill each gap between the ribs. The outer layer helps lift the ribs when you breathe in. The inner layers help pull them down when you breathe out hard. Together they also stiffen the chest wall so it doesn't suck in when you inhale.
Surprising fact
Each rib space has its own nerve, artery and vein tucked in a groove under the rib above, which is why doctors insert chest drains just above a rib, not below it.
Why it matters
Pulling an intercostal muscle with a sneeze, a cough or a twisting sport causes sharp pain with every breath.
Nearby
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Sources
Drafted with AI help; awaiting a human fact-check against these sources.
Open in the 3D atlas · Suggest a correction · Not medical advice.
3D models: Z-Anatomy & BodyParts3D (CC BY-SA 4.0 / 2.1 JP). Card text CC BY 4.0.