Intercostal Muscle & Cartilage

• Muscles are only able to pull on bones, not push on them

  • This means that there must be two sets of intercostal muscles; one to pull the rib cage up and another set to pull it down
• One set of intercostal muscles is found on the outside of the ribcage (the external intercostal muscles)

  • The other set is found on the inside of the rib cage (the internal intercostal muscles)
• Lung diagram

  A) trachea

  B) wind pipe

  C) rings

  D) cartilage

  E) right lung

  F) bronchus

  G) bronchioles

  H) ribs

  I) intercostal muscle

  J) pleural membranes

  K) diaphragm

  L) pleural cavity fluid

  M) sternum

  N) internal intercostal muscles

  O) external intercostal muscle

  P) clavicle (collar bone)

  Q) larynx