A costal facet is a site of connection between a rib and a

vertebra Each vertebra (: vertebrae) is an irregular bone with a complex structure composed of bone and some hyaline cartilage, that make up the vertebral column or spine, of vertebrates. The proportions of the vertebrae differ according to their spina ...

. The costal facets are located on the vertebrae that the rib articulates with. They are the

superior costal facet The superior costal facet (or superior costal fovea) is a site where a rib forms a joint with the top of a vertebra. Ribs connect to the thoracic vertebrae at two main points, the inferior and superior costal facets. These connection points are ...

, the

inferior costal facet The inferior costal facet (or inferior costal fovea) is a site where a rib forms a joint with the inferior aspect of the body of a thoracic vertebra. In the adjacent picture, the arrow points to an inferior costal facet. The facets are named for ...

, and the transverse costal facet. Rib 1 only articulates with a transverse costal facet. The superior costal facet joins the rib to the top of a vertebra. The transverse costal facet joins the rib to the transverse process of a vertebra, and the inferior costal facet joins the rib to the lower part of the vertebra. The joints formed are known as the

costovertebral joint The costovertebral joints are the joints that connect the ribs to the vertebral column. * The articulation of head of rib, articulation of the head of rib connects the rib, head of the rib and the Vertebra, bodies of thoracic vertebra, vertebrae. ...

References

Bones of the thorax Joints {{musculoskeletal-stub