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Intercostal retractions occur when the muscles between the ribs pull inward. The movement is most often a sign that the person has a breathing problem. Intercostal retractions are a medical emergency.
1 The 1st and 2nd posterior intercostal arteries arise from the supreme intercostal artery, a branch of the costocervical trunk of the subclavian artery. 2  The lower nine arteries are the aortic intercostals, so called because they arise from the back of the thoracic aorta.