The hypotheses that the chest wall insertion (CW) is displaced laterally during inspiration and that this displacement is essential in maintaining muscle curvature of the costal diaphragmatic muscle fibers were tested. With the use of data from three dogs, caudal, lateral, and ventral displacements of CW during both quiet, spontaneous inspiration and during inspiratory efforts against an occluded airway were observed and recorded. We have developed a kinematic model of the diaphragm that incorporates these displacements. This model describes the motions of the muscle fibers and central tendon; the displacements of the midplane, muscle-tendon junction (MTJ), CW, and center of the muscle fiber-central tendon arcs are modeled as functions of muscle fiber length. In the model, the center of the fiber arcs and MTJ both move caudally parallel to the midplane during inspiration, whereas CW moves both caudally and laterally. The observed lateral displacement of CW and the observed caudal displacement of MTJ, as functions of muscle fiber length, both approximate well the theoretical displacements that would be necessary to maintain curvature of the fiber arcs. In confirming our hypotheses, we have found that lateral displacement of CW is a mechanism by which changes in the shape of the costal diaphragm, as described by its curvature, are limited.