Muscle Used in Breathing Crossword

Muscle used in breathing crossword clue. A big one crossword question in Herald Sun on Monday, 26 June 2017. 9 letters. Also appear on Daily Telegraph/Courier-Mail.

Answer: DIAPHRAGM

In human anatomy, the thoracic diaphragm, or simply the diaphragm, is a sheet of internal skeletal muscle[2] that extends across the bottom of the thoracic cavity. The diaphragm separates the thoracic cavity, containing the heart and lungs, from the abdominal cavity and performs an important function in respiration: as the diaphragm contracts, the volume of the thoracic cavity increases and air is drawn into the lungs.

The term diaphragm in anatomy can refer to other flat structures such as the urogenital diaphragm or pelvic diaphragm, but “the diaphragm” generally refers to the thoracic diaphragm. In humans, the diaphragm is slightly asymmetric—its right half is higher up (superior) to the left half, since the large liver rests beneath the right half of the diaphragm