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Ninth rib: anatomy, location and function

The ninth rib. A typical rib in the false group. Protects the thoracic organs and, by moving at its vertebral joints, changes chest volume during breathing.

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Highlighted in the model: Ninth rib. Click any part to read about it, or switch off “Highlight topic” to see the whole body. 3D data: BodyParts3D, © The Database Center for Life Science, CC BY 4.0; meshes simplified and recoloured. The model is an adult male.

Ninth rib at a glance

Also called
Rib 9
What it is
The ninth rib. A typical rib in the false group.
Location
Part of the thoracic cage, curving from the ninth thoracic vertebra behind around the chest wall toward the front. A false rib.
Function
Protects the thoracic organs and, by moving at its vertebral joints, changes chest volume during breathing.
Body system
Skeletal · paired (left and right)
FMA ID
FMA8391 (Foundational Model of Anatomy)

Key facts

  • Its costal cartilage joins the cartilage of rib 8, helping form the costal margin.
  • Typical rib: two facets on the head for T8 and T9 and a facet on the tubercle for the transverse process of T9.
  • The fundus of the gallbladder usually lies where the right lateral border of rectus abdominis meets the ninth costal cartilage.

Structures next to the ninth rib

The nearest named structures in the 3D model, measured from the centre of each part:

References

  1. Foundational Model of Anatomy: Ninth rib (FMA8391). EMBL-EBI Ontology Lookup Service.
  2. OpenStax. Anatomy and Physiology 2e, §7.1 Divisions of the Skeletal System. Rice University, 2022.
  3. Mitsuhashi N. et al. (2009). BodyParts3D: 3D structure database for anatomical concepts. Nucleic Acids Research 37, D782–D785. Data © The Database Center for Life Science, CC BY 4.0.

Related anatomy

Explore the whole body in the interactive 3D human anatomy model, or browse the A–Z list of human structures.