Until it’s healed, you can take over-the-counter pain relievers to help with the pain. During this time, it’s important you take the proper steps to avoid strenuous activity. A broken rib can take up to six weeks to heal. The key is to get plenty of rest and avoid overworking your injured rib. After a rib injury, if you feel unwell or more breathless than usual, obtain medical advice urgently. Good painkillers are important so that you can breathe and cough comfortably while the injury heals. Most fractured or broken ribs can be treated at home. Rib injuries like a bruised rib usually heal themselves in a few weeks. However, an X-ray may be needed to confirm diagnosis. When visiting your doctor, they will most likely be able to diagnose your injury simply by pushing on your chest and doing a physical exam. If you are experiencing pain in your ribs after an injury, seek medical attention at once. Other symptoms include shortness of breath, headaches and dizziness. This pain generally worsens when taking deep breaths, pressing the injured area or moving your torso. The main symptom of a broken or fractured rib is pain. Excessive coughing has also caused rib fractures in those with weakened bones. This could occur during athletic activity, a car accident or simply falling down. The most common cause of a broken rib is a direct impact to the chest. Learn more about broken ribs and how they’re treated. It’s vital that you have your broken rib diagnosed as soon as possible in order to avoid serious injuries. If the edges of the bone are jagged, they may harm the internal organs or blood vessels. However, it’s still important to be officially diagnosed, as a broken rib can be potentially dangerous. While they can be very painful, broken ribs are generally simple to fix and will heal on their own in most cases. Also try to include as much detail as possible when describing the incident that caused the break.Broken or fractured ribs are common injuries after experiencing a blow to the chest. To ensure any potential complications are caught early, make sure to tell your doctor about all of your symptoms, even if they don’t seem related to a broken rib. Imaging tests, such as an MRI, can usually reveal injury to one of your internal organs or blood vessels. These types of complications are more common if you have multiple broken ribs. A break in one of the middle ribs that causes a jagged bone edge to penetrate the lung could potentially cause the lung to collapse.Ī break in one of the lower ribs can cut or puncture the liver, kidney, or spleen if the break is dramatic. Other blood vessels in or near the heart may also be at risk.Īnother potential complication of a broken rib is a punctured lung. While you certainly wouldn’t wish for a serious rib fracture, the benefits of having surgery with plates and screws typically include shorter healing time and less pain than leaving the ribs to heal on their own.Ĭan a broken rib cause any complications?ĭepending on which rib breaks and the severity of the injury, your heart and lungs may be at risk.Ī serious break in one of the three top ribs could damage the aorta, the large artery that emerges from the top of the heart and delivers blood to much of your body. In some cases, this may involve using plates and screws to stabilize the ribs while they heal. Very serious rib fractures, such as those that make breathing difficult, may require surgery. If possible, try to sleep in a more upright position for the first few nights after the injury. Just make sure you wrap it in a thin towel first. Tear in the main artery of the body, known as the aorta. Complications depend on which ribs break. Often rib injuries are relatively minor, although painful. In this case, you'll need to go to hospital for specialist treatment. The worst injuries are where you've broken many ribs and the broken ribs have damaged organs such as your lungs, liver or spleen. Having more than one broken rib increases the risk. Treating a rib injury The treatment depends on how bad your injury is. You can also apply an ice pack to the area to reduce pain and decrease swelling. A broken rib can harm blood vessels and internal organs. In the first few days after a rib is broken, an injectable form of anesthesia may help numb the nerves directly around the rib. Today, broken ribs are usually left to heal on their own without any supportive devices or bandages.ĭepending on your pain level, your doctor might prescribe something you can take for pain relief. But this type of bandaging can restrict your breathing and occasionally lead to respiratory problems, including pneumonia. Doctors used to treat a fractured rib by wrapping the torso tightly to help keep the affected rib from moving. Treating broken ribs has changed in recent years.
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