Floating rib
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| Floating rib | |
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| The four floating ribs (indicated with red arrows) | |
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| The six lower ribs on a woman (left) and a man. Note how small the four floating ribs are, especially on a woman. | |
| Latin | costae fluctuantes, costae fluitantes |
| Dorlands/Elsevier | c_58/12262706 |
Floating ribs are four atypical ribs (two lowermost pairs, XI-XII) in the human ribcage. They are called so because they are attached to the vertebrae only, and not to the sternum or cartilage coming off of the sternum. Some people are missing one of the two pairs. Others have a third pair. Most, however, possess only two pairs.[citation needed]
Their position can be permanently altered by a form of body modification called tightlacing, which uses a corset to compress and move the ribs.
[edit] See also
[edit] Additional images
 Anterior surface of sternum and costal cartilages. |
 Eleventh rib. |
 Twelfth rib. |
[edit] External links
- Floating+ribs at eMedicine Dictionary
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