The Thoracic Cage: Ribs and Sternum

[Intro] Press your hand flat against your chest Every bar you feel is holding a line Everything keeping you alive sits behind it [Verse 1] Twelve pairs of ribs, twenty-four bones Every single one anchors to the spine Thoracic vertebrae, one through twelve Up front the sternum takes the load Manubrium, body, xiphoid process Twenty-four plus one, that's twenty-five [Pre-Chorus] One through seven reach the sternum direct Own costal cartilage, straight connection Eight and below can't get there alone That's exactly where the naming splits [Chorus] Seven true ribs, cartilage of their own Eight through twelve are false, no direct reach Eleven and twelve float, nothing up front Twelve pairs total, twenty-four ribs Sternum in the front, spine in the back Twenty-five bones close the cage [Verse 2] Eight, nine, ten fuse to the cartilage above They reach the sternum, just never alone Vertebrochondral, that's the name for those three Eleven and twelve end in abdominal muscle Nothing anterior, that's why they float Both groups are false, one group just floats [Bridge] Here's the part that gets tested Floating ribs are a subset of false Not a separate third category Some texts split them, so know it both ways [Chorus] Seven true ribs, cartilage of their own Eight through twelve are false, no direct reach Eleven and twelve float, nothing up front Twelve pairs total, twenty-four ribs Sternum in the front, spine in the back Twenty-five bones close the cage [Outro] Direct reach is true, indirect is false Free in the front is floating, still false Seven and five, or seven, three, and two Same twelve pairs either way [End]