Costal cartilage anchors them to the edge of the sternum, or breastbone, in the middle of the chest at the front of the body. These ribs attach to the thoracic vertebra of the spinal column in the ...

You can break a vertebra in your 60s or your 70s or beyond. And a vertebral fracture, yes, many of them kind of don't get diagnosed, but often, they are painful, not all of them, when they occur.