The lungs are amazing organs in their own right, they do a great job for a person’s life. Such work would be impossible without the efforts that the main respiratory muscles apply with each inhalation and exhalation. Let us consider the breathing process in more detail and outline the role of the 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 membranes of the lungs allows you to actively move in all directions and change 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 a while , because even the main respiratory muscles, the muscles of the diaphragm, we are able to control. Although reflex inhalation or exhalation occurs after a certain amount of time, an ordinary person cannot be forced to stop breathing. They say that yogis can do it, but they pay a pretty high price for controlling the body.
So, let's talk about the diaphragm. This is a fairly large muscle, flat, similar to a leaf. It forms something like a dome, and this dome separates the abdominal cavity from the chest cavity. When the muscle is flattened, the lungs expand, the chest becomes larger, the volume of the lungs increases and pressure is created, making it possible to draw air into the lungs. The main respiratory muscles provide the main process, but auxiliary muscles also participate in it, they become especially significant in some diseases.
About its origin, the diaphragm is a "relative" of the abdominal muscles. It is found purely in mammals. On the human body, it is projected onto the region of the lower ribs. The bundles of this muscle begin at the edges of the chest cavity and go to a single tendon center.
The diaphragm is not only engaged in breathing, it is involved in the process of outflow of blood from the liver and from the abdominal cavity. This organ also compresses the esophagus, promoting the promotion of food and its activity is associated with the activity of the stomach. This muscle also helps to increase intra-abdominal pressure, which may be important for bowel movements. If violations occur in it, the abdominal cavity can begin to squeeze the chest, the diaphragm keeps a balance between them all the time of life.
Intercostal muscles are also involved in the breathing process. External fasten from the back and are located directly under the skin. Their contraction pushes the ribs, the chest expands and rises. The internal intercostal muscles are involved in exhalation, if it is necessary to consciously do it. However, in general, exhalation is just a passive process, it occurs during the relaxation of the diaphragm.
3 pairs of neck muscles are also considered auxiliary , they are involved when, for whatever reason, the main effort is not enough. The muscles of the press can also play a large role in breathing. They push the ribs from below, causing the lungs to change position. These muscles are very important for emphysema, when it becomes difficult for a person to breathe in the usual way.
When a person coughs, sneezes, all these muscles are included in the process at once, and not just the main respiratory muscles, therefore, those who cough constantly, these muscles can be very sore, for example, intercostal muscles, which patients sometimes take for pain in the lungs themselves.
The organs of the human respiratory system work seven days a week, and their work with the muscles is well-coordinated and well-regulated. In most cases, we don’t even think about how we breathe. The diaphragm is a quiet "worker."