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Ribs are more than just a delicious dish at your favorite steakhouse. These bony structures in your torso connect to your sternum (breastbone) and serve the important function of protecting vital organs like the lungs, heart, spleen, and parts of the liver. They also help shape your chest cavity, which plays a role in breathing. While protective, if ribs are severely fractured, they can become dangerous by puncturing internal organs. Mytour spoke to Dr. John Martinez, an urgent care provider with Dignity Health Medical Foundation in California, to uncover these nine fascinating facts about ribs.
1. YOUR RIBS MOVE LIKE A BUCKET HANDLE.
According to Martinez, the ribs aid in chest expansion during breathing. "They operate like the handle of a bucket, swinging upward as we inhale, which helps to expand the thoracic cavity." This expansion of the thoracic cavity makes it easier to take a deep breath.
2. YOUR BODY HAS THREE DISTINCT TYPES OF RIBS.
The human skeleton contains 12 pairs of ribs. Starting from the top, ribs 1 through 7 are known as "true ribs" because they connect directly from the spine to the sternum, says Martinez. Ribs 8 through 10 are called "false ribs" since they don’t directly attach to the sternum but instead connect via cartilage. The last two ribs, 11 and 12, are referred to as "floating ribs" because they only connect to the spine at the back. These floating ribs are shorter, he adds.
3. THE PERSISTENT MYTH ABOUT WOMEN HAVING MORE RIBS.
To support the biblical tale of Eve being created from Adam’s rib, some pastors and Sunday School teachers used to claim that women have more ribs than men. This is not true (and that notion is rather sexist). Gender does not affect the number of ribs: both men and women have 12 ribs. However, on average, women's ribs tend to be about 10 percent smaller in volume compared to men's.
4. RARELY, HUMANS MAY HAVE A "GORILLA RIB."
In rare instances, unrelated to gender, a human may have an extra set of lumbar ribs, bringing the total count to 13 pairs, similar to our distant relatives, gorillas. This anomaly is often referred to as a "gorilla rib."
5. RIBS EXPLAIN WHY NEANDERTHALS DIDN'T NEED BELTS.
Neanderthals had much wider and thicker rib cages compared to modern humans with slim waists, which would have made them poor candidates for skinny jeans. A 2016 study published in the *American Journal of Physical Anthropology* suggests that the larger ribcage and broader pelvis in Neanderthals were likely due to their Ice-Age diet. Carbohydrates were scarce while fats were abundant, leading to the growth of larger organs like the liver and kidneys, as the study authors describe. In other words, Neanderthals needed more room for their enlarged organs.
6. TWO DIFFERENT TYPES OF ATHLETES SHARE A COMMON INJURY.
"Rowers and baseball pitchers are the athletes most prone to stress fractures of the ribs," Martinez explains. This injury occurs when the serratus anterior muscle exerts strain on the delicate ribs. Other athletes who may experience rib stress fractures include golfers, dancers, weightlifters, and volleyball players, he adds.
7. A SNEEZE CAN CAUSE A RIB FRACTURE.
"True" rib fractures, where the bone completely breaks, typically result from traumatic incidents such as a hard tackle in football or a car accident, says Martinez. However, rib fractures can also occur from the force of sneezing or coughing, as the chest wall muscles contract against the ribs. The treatment for true rib fractures is similar to that of rib stress fractures.
8. WAIST TRAINING WAS ONCE A FASHION TREND... AND IT STILL OCCASIONALLY IS.
Historically, women wore corsets—tight undergarments that cinched the torso, especially at the waist, to bring the ribs and organs closer together, creating a smaller waist and a more pronounced bust. Although corsets fell out of style by the 1920s when women embraced the looser, flowing styles of the Flapper era, some modern women still wear them for reasons ranging from fashion to performance art, leading to a practice known as "tight lacing" or "waist training." In this practice, women work to shrink their waists to exceptionally small sizes.
Doctors warn that tight lacing can cause permanent damage to internal organs and lead to painful conditions such as acid reflux and back pain. Despite these risks, many continue to embrace the look.
9. THE RECORD HOLDER FOR THE TINIEST WAIST IN THE GUINNESS BOOK IS 15 INCHES.
Cathie Jung, the 2011 winner of the *Guinness Book of World Records*, achieved a waist measurement of just 15 inches by wearing corsets 24 hours a day and progressively moving to smaller sizes. Her waist is now the same size as a standard jar of mayonnaise.
