| Intercostales externi muscle | |
|---|---|
| Deep muscles of the chest and front of the arm, with the boundaries of the axilla. (Intercostalis externus labeled at bottom center.) | |
| The Obliquus internus abdominis. (Intercostalis externus labeled at top center.) | |
| Latin | musculi intercostales externi |
| Gray's | subject #117 403 |
| Origin | lower border of ribs |
| Insertion | upper border of rib below |
| Artery | intercostal arteries |
| Nerve | intercostal nerves |
| Actions | Inhalation |
| Antagonist | intercostales interni muscles |
The Intercostales externi (External intercostals) are eleven in number on either side.
They extend from the tubercles of the ribs behind, to the cartilages of the ribs in front, where they end in thin membranes, the anterior intercostal membranes , which are continued forward to the sternum.
Each arises from the lower border of a rib, and is inserted into the upper border of the rib below. In the two lower spaces they extend to the ends of the cartilages, and in the upper two or three spaces they do not quite reach the ends of the ribs.
They are thicker than the Intercostales interni, and their fibers are directed obliquely downward and laterally on the back of the thorax, and downward, forward, and medially on the front (the example is often used of sticking one's hands in their pocket and noting the direction of the fingers pointing downward and medially).
Continuation with the Obliquus externus or Serratus anterior: A Supracostalis muscle, from the anterior end of the first rib down to the second, third or fourth ribs occasionally occurs.
This article was originally based on an entry from a public domain edition of Gray's Anatomy. As such, some of the information contained within it may be outdated.