A broken or fractured rib usually results from direct pressure to the chest or upper body, such as in a car accident, falling from a high enough place, or being hit in a sporting competition. However, some diseases, such as osteoporosis and bone cancer, can make the ribs (and other bones) brittle and break easily even if you just cough or do housework. Even if a broken rib can heal on its own within 1-2 months, knowing how to treat this injury at home can reduce the pain you feel. In certain cases, a broken rib can puncture the lungs or other internal organs, requiring immediate emergency medical attention.
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Part 1 of 2: Confirming Rib Injury
Step 1. Visit the emergency room for help
If you have an injury to your chest or upper body that causes severe pain, especially when you take deep breaths, you may have broken one or two ribs. Although not always, sometimes a crackling sound is heard or felt when a rib is broken, especially if the fracture is at the end of the cartilage or where the ribs meet the sternum.
- You should seek medical attention immediately after sustaining a serious rib injury. If the rib fragment is sharp enough (not just a hair fracture), the risk of injury to the lungs, liver, and spleen is much greater. To prevent this, the doctor will examine the type of fracture and provide recommendations according to your condition.
- A chest X-ray, bone scan, MRI and ultrasound are some of the tests your doctor may use to understand your rib injury.
- Your doctor may prescribe a strong pain reliever or anti-inflammatory if your pain is severe, or advise you to take an over-the-counter pain reliever if the pain isn't bothering you too much.
- Complications of rib fractures are quite dangerous if it punctures or causes a leak in the lungs (pneumothorax).
Step 2. Talk about corticosteroid injections with your doctor
If the fractured rib is stable enough but causes moderate to severe pain, your doctor may suggest injection of steroid medication, especially if there is a tear in the cartilage. Corticosteroid injections near the injury site can reduce inflammation and pain quickly, making it easier for you to breathe and move your upper body.
- Complications that may be caused by corticosteroid injections are infection, bleeding, atrophy of the muscles/tendons around the injection site, nerve damage, and decreased immunity.
- Another injection that your doctor may give you is an intercostal nerve block. This medicine will numb the nerves around the injury site and relieve pain for about 6 hours.
- Most patients with rib fractures do not require surgery--because they can heal on their own with the usual (non-invasive) treatments at home.
Part 2 of 2: Caring for Ribs at Home
Step 1. Don't bandage the ribs
In the past, doctors generally would bandage the ribs to reduce movement. However, this practice has been abandoned because of the risk of causing infection and pneumonia. So don't bandage your ribs.
Step 2. Place ice on top of the broken rib
For the first 2 days, apply an ice pack, frozen gel pack, or bag of frozen beans from the freezer to the surface of the injured rib for 20 minutes every hour when you wake up, then reduce the time to 10-20 minutes 3 times a day as needed to relieve pain and swelling. Ice will constrict blood vessels, thereby reducing inflammation, and can relieve pain around the affected area. Cold therapy like this is suitable for all types of fractures, as well as muscle and bone injuries in general.
- Wrap a light cloth around the ice pack before applying it to the injured area to reduce the risk of frostbite or cold sores.
- In addition to a stabbing pain when breathing, the area around the fracture site may also be painful and swollen, and appear bruised, indicating damage to the internal blood vessels.
Step 3. Take over-the-counter medications
Take medication that can be purchased without a doctor's prescription. Over-the-counter non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen (Advil), naproxen (Aleve) or aspirin can be used to temporarily relieve pain and reduce inflammation from a broken rib injury. NSAIDs can't help heal or speed up your recovery, but they can reduce pain and allow you to go about your daily activities, or even return to work after a few weeks if you don't have to move around much during work. Keep in mind that NSAIDs can irritate your internal organs (such as your stomach or kidneys), so don't use them every day for more than 2 weeks. Follow the instructions for use on the package to find out the right dose for you.
- Children younger than 18 years of age should not take aspirin, as it has been linked to Reye's syndrome.
- Instead, you can use over-the-counter pain relievers such as paracetamol (Tylenol), but these drugs have no effect on inflammation and are more severe on the liver.
Step 4. Avoid moving your upper body
Some light exercise may be beneficial in recovering from muscle and bone injuries, as movement is necessary to stimulate blood flow and recovery. However, for the first few weeks, avoid cardio exercises that can increase your heart rate and breathing rate, as they can irritate and inflame your rib fractures. Furthermore, try to reduce lateral twisting of your upper body while your ribs are still recovering. Walking, driving a car, working on a computer shouldn't be a problem, but avoid most strenuous housework, jogging, lifting weights, and playing sports until you can take deep breaths with little or no pain.
- Take a week or two off if necessary, especially if your job requires you to be physically active or move around a lot.
- Enlist the help of friends or family to take care of the house and yard while you recover.
- You may sometimes have to sneeze or cough after a rib fracture, so keep a soft pillow over your chest to relieve the pressure and ease the pain.
Step 5. Change your sleeping position
Broken ribs are very uncomfortable, especially when sleeping, especially if you sleep on your stomach, side, or roll over often. The best position to sleep during a fracture is on your back because the pressure on the chest is the least. In fact, patients with rib fractures may find it easier to sleep in a chair for several nights after the injury until the pain and inflammation subsides a little. You can also place a support pillow behind your back and head.
- If you're more comfortable sleeping in a more upright position for a few nights or more, don't neglect your lower back. Place several pillows under your bent knees to reduce pressure on the spine and reduce lower back pain.
- To prevent your body from rolling sideways throughout the night, place a bolster on both sides of your body to protect it.
Step 6. Eat healthy and take supplements
Fracture injuries require a lot of essential nutrients to speed up recovery, so eating a diet rich in minerals and vitamins is the right move. Try to eat fresh produce, whole grains, low-fat meats, dairy products, and lots of pure water. Adding additional supplements to your diet can also help speed up the recovery of a broken rib, so consider adding calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, vitamin D, and vitamin K.
- Mineral-rich foods include cheese, yogurt, tofu, chickpeas, nuts and seeds, broccoli, sardines and salmon.
- Instead, avoid consuming foods that hinder bone recovery, such as alcohol, soft drinks, fast food, and refined sugar. Smoking can also slow the healing of fractures and other muscle and bone injuries.
Tips
- If your fracture is severe, try practicing slow deep breathing for 10-15 minutes every hour to help prevent infection or leaks in your lungs.
- Avoid strenuous activities and lifting heavy objects until you feel much better, as re-injury is possible, so it will take you longer to recover.
- Adequate calcium is essential for maintaining bone strength. As a preventative measure, try to consume 1200 mg of calcium daily either from food or supplements. Broken bones require more calcium intake every day.
