Rib Cage Background

The ribs as a whole compise much of the rib cage, a structure which plays an important role in human anatomy. In addition to the ribs, the human rib cage also includes the costal cartilages, the thoracic vertebrae, and the sternum. The rib cage is a necessary part of the human body to allow for inhalation and exhalation actions, bringing air and oxygen in and out of the human body, in which function the rib cage acts in concert with the thoracic diaphragm.

Rib Cage Pain

The sensation of pain under rib cage areas can indicate either the consequences of a physical trauma or, in the longer term, that of a rib sprain. People can feel pain under right rib cage or left rib cage areas, or in some cases under both, due to bruising of the muscles which cover the ribs, dislocation between the ribs and the other sections of the skeleton which they connect to, or a breakage in the ribs themselves.

Cervical Rib

The appearance of the cervical rib in the skeleton of the human body, though not that of other members of the vertebrate group of animals, represents an abnormal and adverse health event, as can lead to compression forces being exerted on the nerves of the brachial plexus. As a consequence, people who have developed an extra cervical rib, or two cervical ribs, may lose some functioning in one of their hands. A cervical rib will, in any case, appear out of the cervical vertebrae.