[citation needed] This costotransverse joint is present in all but the eleventh and twelfth ribs.

This arrangement restrains the motion of the ribs allowing them to work in a parallel fashion during breathing.

[1] The intercostal nerves innervate the costotransverse joints.

Therefore, therapeutic medial branch blocks are ineffectual.

[citation needed] This article incorporates text in the public domain from page 300 of the 20th edition of Gray's Anatomy (1918)