The pain can make it difficult to breathe properly, cough, and go about your day-to-day activities. That doesn’t mean it’s smooth sailing, though. It may be necessary when multiple ribs are fractured and there are other injuries present (for example, to the lung). Surgery is rarely used for fractured ribs. What are the treatment options for fractured ribs? Ribs can take longer to heal in older adults, smokers, and individuals with osteoporosis. The human body is good at repairing itself, and it’ll usually complete the healing process by a minimum of 6 weeks. It takes time for hard bone to replace soft bone and heal the fracture. That means you won’t need surgery or another intervention, just time and patience. If you break any of your ribs, the treatment is mostly supportive. Either way, you’ll have a pain-management plan in place upon your return home. However, others, such as injuries from a serious accident, may require hospitalization first. Most simple rib fractures are treated at home. Your healing time will depend on what kind of injury you have and how severe it is, but it can take weeks. The treatments for bruised ribs are the same as those for fractured ribs, but the expected healing time is shorter.Īn injury or strain to the muscle or cartilage in the rib area can also cause pain. Bruised ribs can be extremely painful, too. You don’t need to break a rib to have pain. It’s not a broken rib, so what else could it be? If there are any other underlying injuries, it can identify them, too. X-ray: Rib fractures are usually identified with a chest X-ray.ĬT scan: If a rib injury is suspected, but it isn’t found on a chest X-ray, your healthcare provider may order a CT scan. The lungs and other organs are situated under the ribs, so it’s important to make sure they haven’t been injured as well. They can help look for fractures and other injuries. In addition to a physical exam by a healthcare provider, the following tests may be ordered. What tests will I have to diagnose a rib fracture? If you have severe pain that gets worse with deep breathing, sneezing, or coughing, get medical help. The pain can worsen with a deep breath, laughing, or body movements like twisting and turning. The risk of rib injury increases with advancing age, brittle bones (osteoporosis), and low bone density (osteopenia).Ī break in one or more ribs can make the area painful to touch. Believe it or not, severe coughing is a common cause, too. The most common causes of rib fractures are car accidents, falls, and sports injuries. While treatment is usually conservative (meaning it doesn’t involve invasive measures), there are things that you can do to improve your comfort. They’re most often treated at home, can be quite painful, and take 6 weeks to 3 months to heal. Rib fracture fixation: Controversies and technical challenges.Rib fractures - also known as broken ribs - are very common and account for about two-thirds of chest trauma injuries.
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