This condition can cause sharp chest pain, particularly during breathing, that may be felt under or around the left rib cage due to the location of the affected pleura.

Breathing is one of the body’s most fundamental movement patterns — occurring on average more than 23,000 times a day — and the diaphragm’s contractions play a key role.

A healthy individual breathes naturally using primary respiratory muscles (e.g., diaphragm muscle) that produce a rhythmic observable movement of the upper rib cage, lower rib cage, and abdomen.

Therefore, as your breathing pattern impacts your rib cage position, your spine and head move in response. And because your shoulder blades are designed to glide over your rib cage, your shoulder ...

2) Side Breathing: This position can help increase rib cage movement as well. Lie on your side on top of a Bosu ball or small exercise ball with your knees bent and arm under your head.

Why it works: This exercise integrates thoracic rotation with breath-driven rib cage movement to improve spinal mobility while reducing compensatory stress on the lower back.

Breathing is one of the body’s most fundamental movement patterns — occurring on average more than 23,000 times a day — and the diaphragm’s contractions play a key role. Under stress, however, your ...

From a biomechanics perspective, it’s the axial skeleton, comprised of the head, spine and rib cage, that holds a human erect in what we call “posture.” Your rib cage takes up nearly 50% of ...

What’s often overlooked is the role of the rib cage in thoracic spine rotation. The thoracic spine consists of 12 vertebrae, spanning from the base of your neck to just above your lower back.