The main respiratory muscles: inhalation and exhalation

Lungs are amazing organs in themselves, they do a great job for human life. Such work would be impossible without effort, which is applied with every breath and exhalation of the main respiratory muscles. Let us consider the process of breathing in more detail and outline the role of muscles actively participating in this process.

The lungs in the process of breathing change shape, they decrease and increase in size. The special structure of the shells of the lungs allows you to actively move in all directions and change the shape quite strongly. Therefore, a person can inhale more or less air, according to needs, or consciously regulating this process.

In general, we do not think about how we breathe. This process is automatically controlled by higher centers in the medulla oblongata. However, we can consciously hold our breath for some time , because even the basic respiratory muscles, the muscles of the diaphragm, we are able to control. Although after a certain time there is a reflex inspiration or exhalation, a normal person can not be forced to stop breathing. They say that yogis know how, but they pay a fairly high price for control of the body.

So, let's talk about the diaphragm. It's a rather large muscle, flat, leaf-like. It forms something like a dome, and this dome separates the abdominal cavity from the thoracic cavity. When the muscle is flattened, the lungs expand, the chest becomes larger, the volume of the lungs increases and pressure is created, due to which it becomes possible to tighten the air inside the lungs. The main respiratory muscles provide the main process, but it also involves auxiliary muscles, especially when they become significant in certain diseases.

About its origin, the diaphragm is a "relative" of the muscles of the abdominal press. It is found exclusively in mammals. On the human body, it is projected onto the area of the lower ribs. Bunches of this muscle begin at the edges of the chest cavity and go to a single tendon center.

The diaphragm is not only concerned with breathing, it is involved in the process of outflow of blood from the liver and from the abdominal cavity. Still this organ compresses the esophagus, promoting the progress of food and its activity is related to the activity of the stomach. Also, this muscle helps increase intra-abdominal pressure, which can be important for defecation. If violations occur in it, the abdominal cavity may begin to squeeze the breast cavity , the diaphragm keeps a balance between them all the time of life.

In the process of breathing, intercostal muscles also participate. External attach from the back and are directly under the skin. Their contraction spreads the ribs, the chest widens and rises. Internal intercostal muscles are involved in exhalation, if it is necessary to consciously do it. However, in general, exhalation is simply a passive process, it occurs during the relaxation of the diaphragm.

Auxiliary are also considered 3 pairs of neck muscles, they are involved when, for some reason, the efforts of the core are not enough. A major role in breathing can also be played by the muscles of the press. They push the ribs from below, forcing the lungs to change position. These muscles are very important in emphysema, when it becomes difficult for a person to breathe in the usual way.

When a person coughs and sneezes, all these muscles are turned on at once, and not just the main respiratory muscles, so those who cough constantly have these muscles, for example, intercostal, which patients sometimes take for pain in the lungs themselves.

The organs of the human respiratory system work without days off, and their work together with the muscles is well coordinated and well regulated. In most cases, we do not even think about how to breathe. The diaphragm is a quiet "worker".