A second X-ray taken a month later showed I ... However, the architecture of the rib cage, a light and flexible lattice of bone, muscle and connective tissue, puts limitations on caring for ...

The rib cage protects the organs in the chest, including the lungs and heart. In between the rib bones are the intercostal muscles, Vasudevan adds, which allow the chest to move while breathing.

Those signals travel through nerves that run through your spinal cord, which is protected by bones called vertebrae. Then there's the rib cage and sternum, which protect the heart and lungs.