The chest is a natural inner shell designed to protect vital organs from damage, bruises or injury. The chest cavity contains the heart, lungs, pulmonary arteries and veins, thymus, bronchi, esophagus, and liver. The respiratory muscles and muscles of the upper limbs are attached to it.
Structure of the human chest
The chest is formed by:
- 12 pairs of arcuate ribs connected at the back to the thoracic spine and at the front connected to the sternum by the costal cartilages.
- The sternum is an unpaired bone that has an elongated shape. It is characterized by a bulge on the front surface and a concavity on the back. Includes three parts: handle, body and xiphoid process.
- Muscles.
The chest is flexible, meaning it expands and contracts as you breathe.
Chest views
The size and shape of the chest is variable and may vary depending on the degree of development of the muscles andlungs. And the degree of development of the latter is closely related to the life of a person, his activity and profession. The shape of the chest normally has three types:
- flat;
- cylindrical;
- tapered.
Flat chest
Often found in people with weak muscles and leading a passive lifestyle. It is long and flattened in the anteroposterior diameter, the anterior wall is almost vertical, the clavicles stand out clearly, the intercostal spaces are wide.
Conical chest
This wide and short chest shape is characteristic of people with a well-developed shoulder girdle muscle group. Its lower part is wider than the upper one. The slope of the ribs and the intercostal spaces are small.
Cylindrical chest shape
This form of chest is normally found in short people. It is rounded, the same along the entire length. The horizontal arrangement of the ribs explains the indistinct intercostal spaces. The thoracic angle is obtuse. People who play sports professionally have this breast shape.
Age and physiological characteristics
The shape of the human chest changes significantly with age. Newborn children are characterized by a narrow and shortened shape of a truncated pyramid. It is slightly compressed laterally. The transverse dimension is less than the anteroposterior. The growth of the child, teaching him to crawl and stand up, the development of the musculoskeletal system and the growth of the viscera causes the rapid growth of the chest. The shape of the chest in childrenin the third year of life becomes cone-shaped. At 6-7 years of age, growth slows down a little, an increase in the angle of inclination of the ribs is observed. School-age children have more convex forms of the chest than adults, the slope of the ribs is also less. This is associated with more frequent and shallow breathing of younger students. In boys, the chest begins to grow intensively at 12, in girls - 11 years. In the period up to 18 years, the middle section of the chest changes the most.
The shape of the chest in children largely depends on physical exercises and the position of the body during landing. Physical activity and regular exercise will help to increase the volume and width of the chest. The expiratory form will be the result of weak muscles and poorly developed lungs. Improper seating, relying on the edge of the table, can lead to changes in the shape of the chest, which will negatively affect the development and functioning of the heart, lungs and large vessels.
Shrinking, lowering and changing the shape of the chest in the elderly is associated with a decrease in the elasticity of the costal cartilage, frequent respiratory diseases and kyphotic curvature.
The male chest is larger than the female chest and has a more pronounced bend in the rib at the corner. In women, the spiral twisting of the ribs is more pronounced. Due to this, a flatter shape and the predominance of chest breathing are obtained. Men have an abdominal type of breathing, which is accompanied by a displacement of the diaphragm.
Chest and its movements
The respiratory muscles play an active role in the process of inhalation and exhalation. Inhalation is carried out by contracting the diaphragm and external intercostal muscles, which raise the ribs and slightly move them to the sides, increasing the volume of the chest. Exhalation of air is accompanied by relaxation of the respiratory muscles, lowering of the ribs, raising the dome of the diaphragm. The lungs in this process perform a passive function, following the moving walls.
Types of breathing
Depending on the age and development of the chest, there are:
- Diaphragmatic breathing. This is the name of the breathing of newborns who do not yet have a good bend of the ribs, and they are in a horizontal position, the intercostal muscles are weak.
- Belly breathing with a predominance of diaphragmatic breathing is observed in children in the second half of the first year of life, when the intercostal muscles begin to grow stronger, the ore cell begins to descend.
- Thoracic type of breathing begins to predominate in children from 3 to 7 years of age, when the shoulder girdle is actively developing.
- After seven years there are sex differences in the types of breathing. The abdominal will predominate in boys, the chest in girls.
Pathological forms of the chest
Pathologies are most often noticed by patients. They can be congenital (associated with impaired bone development during pregnancy) and acquired (a consequence of injuries and diseases of the lungs, bones, spine). Deformations and distortionsusually reveals a simple examination of the chest. The shape and its changes, asymmetry, respiratory rhythm disturbance allow an experienced doctor to announce a preliminary diagnosis. The shape of the chest becomes irregular under the influence of pathological processes in the organs of the chest cavity and with curvature of the spine. Pathological forms of the chest can be:
- Barrel-shaped. This deviation is found in people whose lung tissue has increased airiness, that is, its elasticity and strength are impaired. This is accompanied by an increased content of air in the alveoli. The barrel-shaped chest has an expanded transverse and, especially, anteroposterior diameter, with horizontally located ribs and wide intercostal spaces.
- Paralytic. Such a chest looks flat and narrow. The clavicles are pronounced and asymmetrically located. The shoulder blades clearly lag behind the chest, their location is at different levels, and in the process of breathing they move asynchronously. The location of the ribs is oblique downwards. Paralytic forms of the chest occur in malnourished people, in people with weak constitutional development, with severe chronic diseases, such as tuberculosis.
- Rachitic. This shape is also called keeled, or chicken. It is characterized by a significant increase in the anteroposterior size, which is a consequence of rickets suffered in childhood. The keeled shape also occurs as a result of a genetic deviation in the development of the skeletal system. Bone protrusion may or may not be significant. The severity of the pathology affects the secondary symptoms of the disease that occur due to compression of the heart and lungs.
- Funnel-shaped. This type of pathology is expressed in a noticeable retraction of individual zones: ribs, cartilage, sternum. The depth of the funnel can reach 8 cm. A pronounced funnel-shaped deformity is accompanied by a displacement of the heart, curvature of the spine, problems in the lungs, changes in arterial and venous pressure. In infants, the pathology is hardly noticeable, only when inhaling there is a slight sinking in the chest area. It becomes more pronounced as it grows.
- Scaphoid. Characteristic of this pathology is the presence of an elongated depression in the middle and upper part of the sternum. It develops in children suffering from diseases of the nervous system, in which motor functions and sensitivity are impaired. Severe deformity is accompanied by shortness of breath, fatigue, exercise intolerance, and rapid heartbeat.
- Kyphoscoliotic. It develops against the background of diseases of the spine, namely the thoracic region, or is the result of a traumatic injury.
Evolution has ensured the protection of the most important organs of the human body by the chest. In the chest cavity there are organs without which we cannot exist even for a few minutes. A rigid bone frame not only protects, but also fixes them in a permanent position, ensuring stable operation and ourfair condition.
