Content

• Steps
• Advice
• Warning

A rib fracture or fracture occurs from a direct impact on the chest or upper body, such as in a car accident, a strong fall, or a heavy impact while playing a sport. However, certain diseases, such as osteoporosis and bone cancer, can significantly weaken the ribs (including other bones), and cause ribs to break as easily as coughing, turning, or lifting objects. heavy. Although broken ribs may heal on their own in a month or two if you're relatively healthy, if you know how to treat them at home, your discomfort can be significantly reduced. In some cases, broken ribs puncture the lungs or other internal organs and can be fatal, and therefore urgent medical intervention is required.

Steps

Part 1 of 2: Confirming the damage of the ribs

1. 

   
   
   Go to the emergency room. If you have a serious injury to your chest or upper body and feel very painful, especially with deep breathing, then you may have broken one or two ribs. The condition is also likely linked to other serious injuries, so you need to seek medical attention. Sometimes you can hear or feel a "crack" sound when a bone breaks, but not always if the fracture occurs at the cartilage end of the rib where the sternum is attached.
   • You must go to the hospital for treatment after a serious injury to your ribs, because if the bones break into small sharp pieces (otherwise only crack), they can cause more serious lung damage. , liver and spleen. Your doctor will determine the condition of the fracture so that there is appropriate treatment.
   • Chest x-rays, CT scans, MRIs, and diagnostic ultrasound are tools for the doctor to assess the condition of a rib wound.
   • Your doctor may prescribe strong pain relievers or anti-inflammatory drugs if the pain is severe, or recommend over-the-counter at home if the pain is tolerable.
   • A potentially fatal complication that is related to a broken rib is a lung puncture or pneumothorax. Broken ribs can also lead to pneumonia.

2. 

   
   
   Ask about corticosteroid injections. If the broken rib is in a stable position but causes moderate to severe pain, your doctor may recommend steroid injections, especially if the cartilage is torn. A corticosteroid injection near the injury can quickly reduce inflammation, relieve pain and make it easier for the victim to breathe, and increase upper body mobility.
   • Potential complications of corticosteroid injections include infection, bleeding, local muscle / tendon atrophy, nerve damage, and impaired immunity.
   • Alternatively, the doctor may inject drugs into the intercostal nerve block. The drug will numb the surrounding nerves and stop the sensation of pain for about 6 hours.
   • Most people with broken ribs do not need surgery - they can heal themselves with home care.
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Part 2 of 2: Handling broken ribs at home

1. 

   
   
   Don't bundle your ribs. In the past, doctors used a tampon to immobilize the area around a broken rib, but this approach is no longer preferred due to the high risk of lung infection or pneumonia. So don't try to bundle or bandage your ribs.

2. 

   Apply ice to the broken bone. Use an ice pack, a pack of frozen gel or a pea bag fresh from the refrigerator to apply to the injury for 20 minutes every hour for the first 2 days (while awake), then reduce to 10-20 minutes and do 3 times per day as needed to reduce pain and swelling. Ice causes the blood vessels to contract, thereby reducing swelling, while ice also numbs the surrounding blood vessels. Cryotherapy is suitable for all types of fractured ribs, and basically applies to any musculoskeletal injury.
   • Put ice in a thin cloth bag before applying it to the wound to avoid the risk of cold burns.
   • In addition to a throbbing pain while breathing, you can also feel some softness and swelling above the broken bone, possibly bruising in the surrounding skin, which is a sign that the internal blood vessels are damaged.

3. 

   Take over-the-counter medications. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) can be taken over the counter, such as ibuprofen (Advil), naproxen (Aleve), or aspirin. This is an immediate treatment to fight the pain and inflammation caused by a broken rib. NSAIDs do not speed wound healing or speed up recovery, but they can help ease the pain of performing basic daily activities, even if you can go to work in just a few seconds. week if work is usually sitting still. Remember that NSAIDs will force other organs to work harder (such as the stomach, kidneys), so don't use them for more than two weeks every day. Read the directions on the package for dosage.
   • Children under 18 years of age should not take aspirin because it is linked to Reye's syndrome which is fatal.
   • Instead, you can take over-the-counter pain relievers like acetaminophen (Tylenol), but they don't reduce inflammation and make your liver work harder.

4. 

   Avoid moving your upper body. Although some slight movement is necessary for most musculoskeletal injuries to stimulate blood flow for healing, during the first few weeks you should not do exercises that significantly increase your heart rate and breathing, as it can provoke inflammation at the site of the broken bone. In addition, you should minimize the side swivel (twisting) and flexing movements of your upper body while your ribs heal. You can walk, drive, and work on the computer, but avoid all the strenuous chores, jogging, lifting heavy lifting and playing sports until you can take deep breaths. or almost no longer hurt.
   • Take one to two weeks off work if needed, especially when the job requires physical activity or involves performing high-impact movements.
   • Ask a friend or relative for help with chores in the home or garden while you recover. Avoid lifting and be sure to consult your doctor about whether or not to drive.
   • At some point you will definitely need to cough or sneeze, so keep a soft pillow in front of your chest to absorb the thrust and relieve the pain caused by the cough.

5. 

   Choose a sleeping position. Broken ribs are often uncomfortable at night while sleeping, especially if you lie on your stomach, on your side, or turn around frequently. Probably the best sleeping position with a broken rib is lying flat on your back, as it puts the least amount of pressure on the ribs. In fact, you should sleep with your torso upright on a reclined chair for the first few nights, until the swelling and pain subside. You can also prop your torso on the bed with cushions under your back and head.
   • If you need to sleep more upright for several nights, don't forget to put your lower back. Placing a pillow below your knees will relieve pressure on the lumbar spine, preventing lower back pain.
   • To prevent your body from rolling back and forth during the night, place a long pillow on your side to block it.

6. 

   Eat well and take a tonic. Your body needs enough nutrients for a broken bone to heal, so the best strategy is to have a balanced diet rich in minerals and vitamins. Focus on eating fresh produce, whole grains, lean meats, dairy products, and drinking lots of purified water. Adding nutrients to your meal is also helpful for speeding off broken bones, so include calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, vitamins D and K.
   • Mineral rich foods include cheese, yogurt, tofu, beans, broccoli, nuts, sardines, and salmon.
   • On the contrary, you should avoid foods that interfere with the healing process such as alcohol, sparkling soft drinks, fast foods and refined sugars. Smoking also slows the healing of ribs, and generally affects all other musculoskeletal injuries.
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Advice

• You need to consume adequate amounts of calcium to maintain a healthy skeleton.To prevent fractures, you should eat at least 1,200 mg of calcium each day from food and supplements. When you have broken bones you will need to absorb more calcium each day.

Warning

• See a doctor right away if you experience severe chest pain, fever, chills, shortness of breath, large bruises and / or coughing up blood.