Broken Ribs Pain

What To Do For Broken Ribs

Some people who have had broken ribs say the pain of a broken rib is the most severe and intense pain they've ever experienced. This type of rib pain is especially troubling because it can occur with every breath - there's no getting away from it.

A broken rib is also known as a fractured rib. In many cases, there's not a clean break: the rib is cracked but not separated. Nonetheless, a cracked rib is considered to be a broken rib.

A cracked rib is not as dangerous as one that is completely broken, especially if there are multiple fractures. In such instances, there's a danger that a jagged piece of bone will damage nearby blood vessels or organs.

A broken rib, or fractured rib, is a common injury that occurs when one of the bones in your rib cage breaks or cracks. The most common cause of broken ribs is trauma to the chest, such as from a fall, motor vehicle accident or impact during contact sports.

Broken ribs generally heal on their own, but the rib pain they cause can be extreme. This makes the recovery process seem longer. It's important to control and relieve broken rib pain as much as possible to make breathing easier. If you can't breathe properly, it's possible you could develop complications like pneumonia.

As with most fractures, broken ribs occur from two general causes:

• Direct, traumatic impact from a vehicle collision, fall, or as a blow during athletic competition
• Repetitive use or overuse, as would occur while playing certain sports.

Prolonged coughing (as sometimes occurs with whooping cough) can also cause broken ribs, though this is rare.

Symptoms of broken ribs As mentioned above, rib pain caused by broken ribs ranks high on the pain scale: it's right up there with childbirth, kidney stones and gunshot wounds.

One of the the most recognizable symptoms of broken ribs is painful breathing. If you take a deep breath, and pain shoots through an area of your ribs as you inhale, you probably have a cracked or fractured rib.

Certain types of movement, like bending or twisting, will also trigger a great deal of discomfort.

Finally, if you touch a rib and it really hurts, odds are high that it's broken.

It's important to recognize the difference between symptoms of broken ribs and symptoms of chest pain (angina) caused by heart disease or a heart attack.

Angina, which is one of the classic symptoms of heart problems, is often accompanied by fullness or a squeezing sensation in the center of your chest. Angina typically lasts for more than a several minutes, and sometimes radiates to your shoulder and arm. If this is the kind of pain you're experiencing, you should seek medical help as soon as you can.

How long does it take for broken ribs to heal? As mentioned above, broken ribs usually heal by themselves. Sometimes though, recovery can take as long as six weeks.

Your doctor will almost certainly recommend pain relief medications during this time. Acetaminophen and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like ibuprofen can help. If your pain is especially intense, your doctor may recommend prescription pain-killers.

In some especially severe cases, nerve blocks may be needed. These involve injection of anesthetics to block nerves in the area around the break.

In years past, compression bandages were used to help keep the ribcage stable, but this strategy has fallen from favor due to the risk of pneumonia.