The ribs are curved strips of bone that form a protective cage around the thoracic cavity. There are typically 12 pairs of ribs that articulate posteriorly with thoracic vertebrae and terminate anteriorly as cartilage. The first 7 ribs connect directly to the sternum via costal cartilage, while the last 5 ribs connect to the cartilage of the rib above. The first, tenth, eleventh and twelfth ribs have distinguishing features compared to typical ribs. Ribs can fracture, and injury to multiple adjacent ribs can result in a flail chest.