Coughing Muscles: Intercostals, Abdominals, Diaphragm, Larynges

Coughing Muscles: Intercostals, Abdominals, Diaphragm, Larynges

Coughing is a reflex action that involves several muscle groups throughout the respiratory system. These muscles work together to expel mucus and irritants from your lungs. Here's how each of these important coughing muscles functions during this process:

Intercostal Muscles

The intercostal muscles lie between ribs and play a crucial role in breathing by expanding and contracting with every breath we take. During a cough, they help increase air pressure within the chest cavity and push air outward. This movement makes it easier for other muscles to forcefully expel secretions through the mouth or nose.

Abdominal Muscles

While often associated primarily with digestion, abdominal muscles also contribute significantly to effective coughing. They assist in generating a strong exhalation force when you need to clear your throat. As you press down on your stomach area while coughing, these muscles tighten and apply extra pressure to help move the expelled fluid further away from your body.

Diaphragm

The diaphragm is a dome-shaped muscular sheet situated below the lungs. It plays a critical part in both normal breathing and forced exhalations such as coughs. When you breathe in during a cough, your diaphragm contracts, creating negative pressure inside the chest, which helps draw in more air. Then, during the actual act of coughing, the diaphragm relaxes slightly, allowing for increased lung expansion needed for powerful exhaling.

Laryngeal Muscles

These muscles control the opening and closing of your vocal cords, as well as the flow of air into and out of your voice box. While not directly involved in expelling matter from the lungs like the others mentioned above, they do help protect your delicate throat tissues by preventing them from coming into contact with any foreign particles being coughed up.

In summary, coughing requires coordination among various muscle groups working Together, these muscles facilitate proper functioning of our respiratory systems, enabling us to efficiently rid ourselves of unwanted substances without causing damage to surrounding structures.

Learn about the intercostal, abdominal, diaphragm, and laryngeal muscles and their roles in the coughing process. Understand how these muscle groups work together to help expel mucus and irritants from the lungs effectively.