Forms of the human chest. Shape of the chest in children

The chest is a natural inner shell, designed to protect vital organs from damage, bruises or injuries. In the chest cavity, the heart, lungs, pulmonary arteries and veins, thymus, bronchi, esophagus, and liver are hidden. It is attached to the respiratory muscles and muscles of the upper limbs.

Structure of the human chest

The thorax is formed by:

• 12 pairs of arched ribs connected to the back with the thoracic spine, and in front connected to the breastbone with the help of costal cartilage.
• The sternum is an unpaired bone, which has an elongated shape. It is characterized by a bulge on the front surface and concavity on the back. It includes three parts: the handle, the body and the xiphoid process.
• Muscles.

The thorax has flexibility, that is, it expands and contracts in the process of breathing.

Types of the chest

The size and shape of the chest are variable and can vary depending on the degree of musculature and lung development. And the degree of development of the latter is closely related to the life activity of a person, his activity and profession. The shape of the chest is normal in three ways:

• flat;
• cylindrical;
• conical.

Flat chest shape

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 practically vertical, the clavicle distinctly stands out, the intercostal spaces wide.

Conical form of thorax

This broad and short form of the chest is peculiar to people with a well developed group of muscles of the shoulder girdle. The lower part of it is wider than the upper one. The incline of the ribs and the intercostal spaces are small.

Cylindrical form of thorax

This form of the chest is normal in low-lying people. It is rounded, the same along the entire length. The horizontal arrangement of the ribs explains the fuzzy intercostal spaces. The pectoral corner is obtuse. In people who are engaged in sports professionally, this is the form of the breast.

Age and physiological features

The forms of the human chest change significantly with age. For children, newborns are characterized by a narrow and truncated form of a truncated pyramid. It is slightly compressed laterally. The transverse dimension is less than anteroposterior. The growth of the child, training it to crawl and get up, the development of the musculoskeletal system and the growth of the internal organs causes the rapid growth of the chest. The shape of the chest in children in the third year of life becomes conical. At 6-7 years of age, growth slightly slows down, an increase in the angle of inclination of the ribs is observed. Children of school age have more convex forms of the thorax, rather than adults, the slope of the ribs is also smaller. This is associated with the more frequent and shallow breathing of younger schoolchildren. In boys, the thorax begins to grow strongly in 12, girls - 11 years. In the period up to 18 years, the middle section of the breast changes most.

The shape of the chest in children depends largely on physical exercises and the position of the body during planting. Physical exercise and regular exercise will increase the volume and width of the chest. The expiratory form will be the result of a weak musculature and poorly developed lungs. Incorrect fit, supported by the edge of the table, can lead to changes in the shape of the chest, which will adversely affect the development and work of the heart, lungs and large vessels.

Diminishing, lowering and changing the shape of the chest in elderly people is associated with a decrease in the elasticity of the costal cartilage, frequent respiratory diseases and kyphosis.

The male thorax is larger than the female one and has a more pronounced bending of the rib in the angle region. In women, the spiral twisting of the ribs is more pronounced. This results in a flatter shape and a predominance of chest breathing. In men, the ventral type is respiration, which is accompanied by a displacement of the diaphragm.

Thorax and its movements

The respiratory muscles play an active role in the process of inspiration and exhalation.
Breathing is done by contracting the diaphragm and the outer intercostal muscles, which by raising the ribs, slightly withdraw them to the sides, increasing the volume of the chest. Exhalation of air is accompanied by relaxation of the respiratory muscles, lowering the ribs, lifting 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 called the breathing of newborns, which do not yet have a good rib bend, and they are in a horizontal position, the intercostal muscles are weak.
• Severe respiration with a predominance of diaphragmatic is observed in children in the second half of the first year of life, when the intercostal muscles begin to strengthen, the ore cage begins to descend downwards.
• The chest type of breathing begins to predominate in children from 3 to 7 years of age, when the shoulder belt is actively developing.
• After seven years, sex differences appear in the types of breathing. Abdominal will prevail in boys, breast - in girls.

Pathological forms of the chest

Pathologies are most often seen by patients. They can be congenital (related to the development of bones during pregnancy) and acquired (consequence of injuries and lung diseases, bones, spine). Deformation and distortion, as a rule, reveals a simple examination of the chest. The form and its changes, asymmetry, violation of the rhythm of breathing 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 thoracic cavity and in the 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. Barrel shape of the chest has an enlarged transverse and, especially, anteroposterior diameter, with horizontally located ribs and wide intercostal spaces.
• Paralytic. This chest looks flat and narrow. Clavicles are pronounced and arranged asymmetrically. The blades obviously lag behind the thorax, their arrangement is of a different level and they shift asynchronously in the process of breathing. The location of the ribs is oblique. Paralytic forms of the chest are found in depleted people, in people with weak constitutional development, with severe chronic diseases, for example, tuberculosis.
• Ricket. This form is also called kyle, or chicken. It is characterized by a significant increase in the anteroposterior size, which is a consequence of rickets born in childhood. The keel-shaped form also arises as a result of genetic deviation in the development of the bone system. The bulging of the bones can be significant or not. The severity of the pathology affects the secondary symptoms of the disease, arising from the squeezing of the heart and lungs.

• The funnel-shaped. This type of pathology is expressed in a noticeable sinking of individual zones: ribs, cartilage, sternum. The depth of the funnel can reach 8 cm. A pronounced funnel-shaped deformation 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 not very noticeable, only with inspiration there is an insignificant sinking in the chest region. It becomes more pronounced as you grow.
• Scaphoid. Characteristic for 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. Deformed deformity is accompanied by shortness of breath, rapid fatigue, intolerance to physical exertion, frequent palpitations.
• Kifoskolioticheskimi. It develops against the background of diseases of the spine, namely the thoracic region, or is a consequence of traumatic injury.

Evolution provided protection for the most important organs of the human body by the thorax. In the chest cavity organs are located, without which we can not survive for several minutes. The rigid bone skeleton not only protects, but also fixes them in a constant position, ensuring stable work and our satisfactory condition.