Ribs

Watch video

The ribs are arc-shaped, flat bones that protect thoracic organs such as the heart and lungs, and provide attachment points to muscles of the back, chest and proximal upper limb. They are 12 pairs of ribs, attached posteriorly to the thoracic vertebrae.

The ribs can be divided into groups based on their distal attachment points. The first seven pairs of ribs articulate directly with the sternum through their costal cartilages and are known as the true ribs or vertebrosternal ribs. The 8th-10th ribs unite anteriorly via their costal cartilages and articulate indirectly with the sternum via the 7th rib; they are known as false ribs or vertebrocostal ribs. The 11th and 12th ribs are known as floating ribs as they do not attach to the sternum in any manner and are particularly short and have no necks nor tubercles.

Watch the following video to learn more about the various bony landmarks found on each rib and how they relate with nearby surrounding structures.

Take a quiz

Now that you’ve learned the basics about the ribs, go ahead and solidify your knowledge by taking our quiz.

Did you find weak spots in your knowledge about the ribs? Try our customizable quiz to choose the topics that you want to be tested on:

Browse atlas

Take a closer look at the ribs and their bony features in the atlas gallery below.

Now that you’ve seen typical ribs in detail, it’s time to take a look at some of the atypical ribs in the following galleries.

Summary