What is the sternum?
The sternum is also known as the breastbone. It is a flat bone that articulates with the clavicle and the costal cartilages of the upper 7 ribs (true ribs), while the 8th, 9th and 10th ribs (false ribs) are indirectly attached with sternum via costal cartilage of the ribs above. The bone is divided into three parts:
Where does the sternum attach to the manubrium?
The second pair of costal cartilage attaches to the sternum at the lower border of the manubrium. The superior sternopericardial ligament connects the heart’s covering, the pericardium, to the manubrium. The body of the sternum, also known as gladiolus, is the largest part of the sternum.
What does the sternum look like upside down?
The sternum as a whole can be compared to an upside-down sword. Its top rectangular part, the manubrium, resembles the handle, whereas the flat, long middle portion or body looks like the sword’s blade. The pointy end of the bone, the xiphoid process appears like the sword tip.
What attaches the sternum to the pectoralis?
The sternocostal head of the pectoralis major muscle attaches the sternum, on the lateral sides of its anterior surface. The posterior surface of the body gives rise to the transversus thoracis muscle (innervated by intercostal nerves ).
The sternum is sometimes known as the breastbone. This flat bone sits at the front of the chest and connects to the ribs with cartilage. The sternum is part of the rib cage, a series of bones that protects the heart and lungs from injuries. The sternum is located at the front of the chest and is connected to the ribs.
What does it mean when you have sharp pain in sternum?
Usually, if the pain is in the actual sternum, you’ll have sharp pain when you push in the middle of your chest. But because the symptoms of chest bone pain are so similar to other causes of chest pain, you might need to have tests to check for heart attack and other serious conditions.
Where is the sternum and manubrium located?
The sternum lies very superficially in the anterior thorax and is easily palpable below the skin of the chest in the midline. The bone covers and protects the heart and great vessels in part, as well as the trachea and esophagus. The manubrium is a large quadrangular shaped bone that lies above the body of the sternum.