Manubrium

Looks like

The broad top piece of the breastbone, with the notch at the base of the neck and the collarbones jointed to its upper corners.

What it does

Holds the collarbones and first ribs, linking the arm's skeleton to the trunk.

Keeping it well

Its joint with the body of the sternum makes a ridge you can feel — the level of the second rib, used to count ribs. A hard, growing lump over it, or swelling of the joint beside the collarbone, needs imaging.

Related conditions

• Acromegaly
• Costochondritis
• Fractures
• Fragility fracture
• Frailty & falls in older age
• Hyperparathyroidism
• Osteogenesis imperfecta (brittle bone disease)
• Osteomalacia & rickets
• Osteomyelitis (bone infection)
• Osteoporosis
• Paget's disease of bone
• Pleural effusion
• Pneumothorax
• Sarcoma
• Vitamin B1, C and other deficiencies
• Vitamin D deficiency