There is a bone in the center of our chest right in front of the ribcage which has a shape of a sword. Can you guess what bone that is? Well yes, it's the sternum.
So today my friends we are going to then dedicate this tutorial to this very important bone of the human body and learn everything about its anatomy. We will cover the overall anatomy and major features of the sternum. So first we will look at the three parts of the sternum which are the manubrium, the sternal body, and the xiphoid process. Then we'll look at articulations that join these parts together, which are then the sternal angle and the xiphysternal junction.
Then we will look at the bony landmarks unique to the manubrium and the sternal body. On the manubrium, we will look at the suprasternal notch. We're going to be seeing these structures called clavicular notches, also a first costal notch and a second costal notch.
And the sternal body features many notches for the ribs to then connect to the sternal body. to the sternum. Each notch is named after the number of the rib, so there is a third costal notch, a fourth costal notch, a fifth, a sixth, and a seventh costal notch.
And at the end of this tutorial, we will also include some clinical notes connected to the sternum. Now before we explore all those elements in great detail, let's start by looking at the sternum as a whole. So this is a skeleton as if we were standing in front of a person.
You can see the sternum here highlighted in green, which is this long flat bone in the front part of the rib cage. These are the ribs, and this is the spine. Note here that the sternum joins the right and left ribs to then complete the rib cage, and provides a base for the pectoral girdle. Like I mentioned before, the sternum is made up of three parts.
So there is the manubrium, the sternal body, and the xiphoid process. And each of these structures have their own set of unique characteristics. Let's look at each part individually. We'll start with the most superior portion of the sternum, the manubrium. We are now looking at an isolated sternum, both from the right side, which is the image on the far right, and from the front, which is the image on the left.
Keep in mind that manubrium is Latin for handle or hilt. If you look at it, it somewhat resembles a triangle when viewed from the front. The tip of the triangle points down and its base is in line with the two clavicles.
At the center of the base, there is a small depression, and this is then the suprasternal or jugular notch. On either side of the suprasternal notch, there are two smaller notches called the clavicular notches. The clavicular notches are then the contribution of the sternum to then the sternoclavicular joints. Here, each clavicle articulates with the sternum to then support and stabilize the shoulder joint.
We've backed away to look at the sternoclavicular joint along with the thorax. The clavicle attaches to the scapula at the acromioclavicular joint, but the scapula itself has no bony attachments to any other part of the axial skeleton. This video is not over yet.
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