Mechanical action of the intercostal muscles on the ribs.
The external and internal interosseous intercostal muscles were separately stimulated at end-expiratory lung volume in anesthetized dogs. These muscles were all found to elevate the ribs into which they insert. By attaching weights to the ribs, it was determined that the nonlinear compliance of the ribs was responsible for this phenomenon.
D000818:Animals; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D004285:Dogs; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D006801:Humans; D007366:Intercostal Muscles / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology*; D012119:Respiration; D012272:Ribs / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology*