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Identifying Intercostal Muscles

Exam code: 5090
Written by: Ashika|Reviewed by: Caroline Carroll|Updated 2 July 2026

Identifying Intercostal Muscles

Identifying Intercostal Muscles

  • Muscles are only able to pull on bones, not push on them

  • This means that there must be two sets of intercostal muscles; one to pull the rib cage up and another set to pull it down

  • One set of intercostal muscles is found on the outside of the ribcage (the external intercostal muscles)

  • The other set is found on the inside of the rib cage (the internal intercostal muscles)

The lungs, IGCSE & GCSE Biology revision notes

There are 2 sets of intercostal muscles: the external, on the outside of the rib cage, and the internal, on the inside of the rib cage