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The thorax is the region of the trunk between the neck and the diaphragm (essentially the chest). Its main respiratory function (despite being the space that contains all the other respiratory organs) is to enable the act of breathing.

Essentially, the act of breathing is about changing the volume of your thoracic cavity; increasing it to breathe in and decreasing it to breathe out.

Your lungs are surrounded by an airtight 'skin' called the pleural membrane. This allows the two lungs to be contained in one airtight sac and the only way in or out is through the trachea and ultimately the mouth or nose. When the thoracic space increases, a pressure gradient is created between the external (higher) air pressure and the internal (lower) air pressure, thus, air flows down the pressure gradient into the lungs to equalize the pressure and you have breathed in. When breathing out the reverse happens, the thoracic volume decreases creating a pressure gradient (higher on the inside, lower on the outside) and air flows out of the lungs.

Muscles are responsible for changing the volume of your thoracic cavity. The most important is the diaphragm. When relaxed it is dome shaped with the top near the base of your lungs and the bottom at the lower end of your rib cage. When it contracts, it pulls down and increases the internal space allowing the inspiration of air. The other muscles involved are called the intercostals. They are located in between your ribs and are divided between the internal and the external ones. When the external intercostal muscles contract, they increase the space between each of the ribs and therefore increase the thoracic space. When the internal intercostal muscles contract, they pull the ribs closer together and decrease the internal volume (breathing out). There are also muscles in the neck (sternocleidomastoid and scalenes) that help the chest rise up and out when inspiring. All these muscles work together to increase the thoracic volume and enable the act of breathing.

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