Rib muscle

Synonyms

Latin: Levatores costarum muscles
English: levatores costarum muscle

Synergists: Levatores costarum longi muscles
Antagonists: Rectus abdominis muscle

definition

The rib muscles (at. Levatores costarum muscles) are a group of skeletal muscles that belong to the core muscles. From the ribs to the transverse processes, they pull vertebrae lying further upside down. In humans there are 12 such muscle pairs that are located between the last cervical and eleventh thoracic vertebrae. You skip a vertebral segment (Levatores costarum breves muscles, "Short rib lifters"). The bottom four split into two strands, one of which skips two segments. These are "long rib lifters" (Levatores costarum longi muscles) called.

course

Approach: Ribs

Origin: Transverse processes

Innervation: Rami posteriores of the spinal nerves

function

The function of the levatores costarum muscles is extension (stretching) or dorsiflexion (backward bending) of the spine and its inclination to the side.
In addition, the levatores costarum muscles lead to a slight rotational movement in the lower thoracic spine.