Muscles of respiration

As respiratory muscles those skeletal muscles are called, leading to an expansion or contraction of the chest and thus to import or exhalation. The most important respiratory muscle is the diaphragm (diaphragm). The each come into action muscles depend heavily on the breathing technique ( chest breathing or abdominal breathing ) from.

During normal breathing, the muscles play a role only for the inspiration ( inhalation). For this purpose, an extension of the chest is required, which is realized by so-called inspiratory muscles ( " inspirers "). To produce a higher negative pressure in the pleural space, and thus an extension of the lung, whereby air is sucked. The exhalation takes place is mostly produced passively by slackening the muscles. Because of the elastic fibers in the lung tissue pulls together this and presses the air out of the lungs. Only with increased respiration or lung disease exhalation ( " Exspiratoren " expiratory muscles, ) must also be supported by auxiliary muscles.

Inspiratory muscles

• Diaphragm (diaphragm)
• Musculi external intercostals ( external intercostal muscles)
• Musculi scalene
• Intercartilaginei musculi, which is the part of the inner intercostal muscles, extending between the costal cartilages

Inspiratory accessory muscles

• Musculi levatores costarum
• Musculus serratus anterior ( Serratus anterior )
• Musculus serratus posterior superior ( rear upper Sägemuskel )
• Musculus serratus posterior inferior ( rear lower Sägemuskel )
• Musculus pectoralis minor et major ( at arm propped )
• Sternocleidomastoid muscle

Expiratory muscles

• Musculi internal intercostal et intimi (internal intercostal muscles)
• Musculus subcostal
• Musculus transversus thoracis

Expiratory accessory muscles

• Musculus obliquus externus abdominis
• Musculus obliquus internus abdominis
• Musculus transversus abdominis
• Latissimus dorsi ( " cough muscle " )
• (Musculus retractor costae ( when people are not created) )
• Musculus quadratus lumborum