A question arose at dinner tonight about floating ribs… what are they, who has them, how many, do women have more than men…. and here’s what I found out:
The ribs are thin, flat, curved bones that form a protective cage around the organs in the upper body. They are comprised 24 bones arranged in 12 pairs. These bones are divided into three categories:
The first seven bones are called the true ribs. These bones are connected to the spine in back. In the front, these true ribs are connected directly to the breastbone (or sternum) by strips of cartilage called the costal cartilage.
The next three pairs of bones are called false ribs. These bones are slightly shorter than the true ribs and are connected to the spine in back. However, instead of being attached directly to the sternum in front, the false ribs are attached to the lowest true rib by cartilage.
The last two sets of rib bones are called floating ribs. Floating ribs are smaller than both the true ribs and the false ribs. They are attached to the spine at the back, but are not connected to anything in the front.
Floating ribs, front view:
Floating ribs, back view:
So, men and women have the same number of ribs. The idea that women have an extra one is a myth, one that most likely originated with the biblical story of God taking a rib from Adam to create Eve. I am not disputing that this could have actually, physically happened. But I do contend that if it did, it would not have created a genetic "missing rib" condition that would be passed on to all mankind – it would have affected only Adam.
Also, just for completeness… Some people have with a pair of "extra" ribs just above the uppermost rib (so called "cervical ribs"). This can result in a condition known as thoracic outlet syndrome. Along with arm and shoulder pain, it may cause pins-and-needles sensations in the fingers and weakness in your hand grip. This syndrome can also be cause by other things blocking the nerves/blood supply in the area – such as big muscles, improperly healed trauma, or swelling.
Oh, and another weird thing I read about while looking into this was about floating rib removal. Apparently, this is a plastic surgery procedure offered by some where most of ribs 11 and 12 (and occasionally rib 10) are removed to give patients a more feminine hourglass figure. This is a risky surgery with NO indication (so please don’t do it!!). Besides, the floating ribs are fairly flexible and will gradually yield to the constant pressure of a corset – so go that route if you really want to look that much thinner!
