Broken or Bruised Ribs?

Hello Everyone – Seeking some help. Had a nasty fall from my bike on Sunday. Along with the multiple bruises, I can sense an issue with my ribs. I am able to get up from the bed fine and can twist ever so gently. However, there is a lot of pain when coughing and while getting up from bed. Yesterday, I also felt a sharp pain when I went down to pick up something. I feel like the injury is in the back. Day 3 now and it feels a whole lot better than Day 0. However, it still hurts. In reading some of the forum here, I understand it could be an intercostal muscle strain also, but I’m open to your feedback. Thanks. – Prashant (Atlanta, GA)

unless you have punctured a lung, not a lot to be done.

if it stops hurting after 4 weeks – just bruised
if it still hurts after 4 weeks – probably broken.

no coughing, sneezing for a while

DO NOT SNEEZE! Christ that hurts….

As above… do not

1)Cough
2)Sneeze
3)Laugh

I suspected I cracked a rib 11 years ago.
I went to the walk-in hospital and they said yes, you have cracked a rib.
Wasn’t anything they could do for it, but it did stop hurting eventually.

Get a cushion. Carry it with you everywhere and when you need to sneeze, cough hic up etc hug it like it’s your best friend….

I’ve had bruised cracked and broken ribs, in various combinations.
Sneezing and coughing are best avoided.

I’ve had that, and it is no fun at all. I thought I was all good after about three weeks, then picked up a toddler and pain shot through my ribs and I struggled to even get to a point where i could lie down.

AS others have said, the most a doctor/xray can do for you (assuming you haven’t punctured a lung) is tell you whether it’s a break or not – either way, the remedy is rest*

*not a doctor, just an idiot on the internet, actual doctor may provide different/correct advice

Thanks for your feedback. Will you know if they will heal completely or still be brittle for life?

I’m in the same boat except that for the first week, the swelling around my ribs internally was so bad that I couldn’t breath properly. In addition to bust hand / finger and lots of cuts.

Broken / cracked more likely to be sharp pain. Bruised, dull ache with less stabby when moving, but still damn painful!

Pain will increase / change as swelling goes down and things move more. I’m on week 3.5 and still not feeling great.

Once you’re not crippled for 15+ seconds after sneezing, you’re on the mend..

Sorry to hear that wildfires – Hope you feel better soon. Did you go to the doctor and will you recommend that? I do not seem to have a breathing problem, and I walk slower than a snail can crawl.

Unless they’re totally knackered they’ll heal up fine and there’s nothing a Dr can do*. Otoh, if it is your back, not so much and that’s best looked at.

They hurt a lot in the interim though. They might be a bit weaker but since anything you’d do to break them is best avoided in the first instance I don’t suppose that matters.
It’s not like dodgy ankles where a sturdy set of boots is advisable for general walking, more like don’t fall really hard on them or go cage fighting.

Actually yeah. Get a corset, wear one of those in future to reduce the chances of breaking ribs again. The frilly lacy things with tassels or cutouts for the nipples are best and they should be worn over any other clothing.

*being in the USA I’m sure your doctor will be happy to sell you some sort of solution mind.

Go to A&E for qualified expert advice?

My experience is that it doesn’t matter if it’s broken or bruised, except that you get more sympathy if broken, otherwise it’s pretty much the same miserable experience. So always say broken.

In the UK I’d say get to a GP, they have better drugs. Not sure how that plays out for you but, first couple of times i said “there’s nothing to be done”, 3rd time I went to the GP and he gave me better painkillers and I felt like an idiot for not doing it the first time (er, diclofenac one time, cocodamol another, cocodamol has definite advantages for sleepy time)

And build a nest. Lying flat is hard but changing shape is worse. A spare duvet makes good nest material.

No harm in getting checked at the doctors, as above not much you can do other than rest but make sure you still remain mobile short walks etc don’t just sit around, also try and make sure you take a good few deep breath regularly to make sure you keep your lungs nice and clear. Don’t be tempted to rush out and ride off road too soon, like my doc said to me one off with weak ribs and you are in a serious world of shit.

Also, try to avoid raucous laughter and keep to a high fiber diet.
Phone the GP if you must, if only to be able to tell people that your doctor thought they were probably broken. They won’t want to see you.

They won’t want to see you

You know how health care works in the USA don’t you?

Broken ribs – hurt like hell, especially when moving and breathing = take pain killers and just get on as best you can. Rest is good but moving around is ok. Breath normally not shallow.

Bruised ribs – hurt like hell, especially when moving and breathing = take pain killers and just get on as best you can. Rest is good but moving around is ok. Breath normally not shallow.

The only difference is no one gives you any sympathy when they’re ‘only’ bruised compared to being broken.

Both suck but unless you’ve punctured or ruptured something (as said above) you’ll be fine (but painful). Don’t rush to get back on the bike/kayak/skateboard/surfboard.

Edit – They’ll most likely heal fine and strong as normal.

I’ve bruised and broken ribs quite a lot over the past 30 years due to rugby/bikes/stupidity/skateboards/kayaking/and drinking (not all exclusively).

As a paramedic the above would be my professional advice to healthy people not showing any complications or relevant co-morbidities.

Edit- As said above avoid coughing, sneezing, laughing and lifting toddlers for a while.

Pillow to hug optional 😜

A word of warning…

I crashed a week ago on Monday testing some jumps in the wet. I knew it didn’t feel right but it wasn’t that bad either, the cuts and grazes were worse. So, I carried on regardless, did some drainage work and a big techy ride round Hebden. A few hours in I went to hop a water bar and something developed so I went home. That night I sneezed and wow! Something definitely went pop!!

So, be kind to yourself and don’t make it worse because its not a good nights sleep on your back, lying there in pain, thinking about not being able to re-open your barber shop on the 12th cos your an idiot.

Its 5 1/2 days since and I am relatively comfortable again but after building up a bike for my wife and testing the gears, anything more than gentle braking sends an instant warning sign. Gutted as our local trails are dry and dusty :(

Thanks for the feedback everyone. Very reassuring indeed. I was getting worried this is going to last a lifetime. I’m already feeling low because of being rather inactive past few days.

And yes, they’re waiting for me to check in to the hospital here so that they can fleece me.

had a slow speed off on Sunday and have just got home from 2 hospitals. Fractured ribs, collarbone and shoulder blade. CT scan showed large air pocket pressing on lung so had to have a chest drain. That was a very painfull experience even with morphine and local anesthetic. Now on about 10 different tablets with a very uncomfortable sling. very strong painkillers help but overall it’s a crap experience. Sorry for the typo’s it’s difficult to type with the left hand.

You know how health care works in the USA don’t you?

Ha! ☺️ Missed OP’s location…

I’ve either broken ribs or torn the intercostal muscles a couple of times. Once a comedy tank-slapper crash innthe Alps, the other tripping up over my dawg when out running with him.

Treatment was the same irrespective… suck it up, buttercup !

Yes laughing and coughing hurt like ****.

BUT… my understanding is that you should NOT suppress coughing. Stopping coughing, and breathing shallowly to avoid straining and expanding the chest is a recipe for pneumonia as you fail to expell cack  or ‘open up’ half your lungs.

Broke my ribs a few years ago, it hurts like hell when you laugh, sneeze or cough. And it’s very difficult to reach and pick up a pint of beer.

Went over the bars on Monday, bruised ribs, similar sort of pain to broken ribs, but not quite as intense or sharp.

Very much what robertajobb said, I had a bad case of broken ribs a few years ago and the doctors were insistent that I try to cough at least twice a day to prevent pneumonia caused by the cautious shallow breathing not clearing the airways.

Can I walk on the treadmill at a slow pace? Will that slow down the recovery?

Having done mine, lots, I’d say gentle exercise will help recovery. My experience is that total rest just makes things seize up, it’s always worst when trying to get up first thing in the morning isn’t it?

NSAID’s definitely help, stronger painkillers maybe for the first week. And yes it does clear up eventually, but doesn’t unfortunately (for me at least) stop me doing stupid things on bikes, skis and snowboards to end up back at square one!

I had a big off last September which resulted in a visit to A&E – turned out I had punctured a lung as well as busting 11 ribs, two in 2 places. But what triggered my visit was shortness of breath (caused by one lung not working well). Doesn’t sound like that in your case prashers as you are improving, whereas I got worse over the couple of days following the accident.

But I learned that it is important to breathe deeply and try to cough as stagnant air in the lungs can lead to pneumonia, **so do that even if it hurts**. (They gave me an epidural with Fentanyl in it, which fixed the pain nicely but is otherwise a rubbish drug, I can’t see how peeps get addicted to it.)

And if you do notice shortness of breath, you definitely need to get it checked out.

Hi All – Quick update after a week. I just sneezed and it hurt like hell. Felt like something even popped out. However, I’m able to do a lot more than I was able to last week. I am also trying to walk on the treadmill everyday. I’m not able to walk more than 3.5mph, which is snail speed. Also, after about an hour of walking, I’m worn out.

Lastly, sleeping on the bed is still difficult. After a few hours, back feels stiff and there’s still plenty of inflammation, which causes a burning sensation.

I only went to a minute clinic to get the external wounds checked out, so still unsure of the internal injury. However, I am feeling a whole lot better and manage with a few coughs here and there. But that sneeze took the life out of me :).

I’ve done mine twice, both crashes where I’ve ended up sticking the bars into my ribs. It doesn’t half smart for a while – as detailed above. Last time for me was January and I still feel it if I’m putting in a decent effort and breathing hard.
Only advice I had from a physio when I did it first (about 20 years back, mind) was that if my ribs were broken I’d be in serious pain instead of (as then) feeling very light headed because breathing was physically painful. If you can bear to touch the ribs that you’ve bust, then the advice I had was to put light pressure on them every now and then and try to breathe, as my lightheadedness was the result of me favouring one side of my chest to avoid the pain.
It sounds like you’ve badly bruised your ribs, and that you’re gradually healing. It’ll feel like forever before you’re right, and the end of the world during, but the good news is that you will get better if it’s just ribs. Sorry you have to rely on a private healthcare system – this is the sort of thing you could probably just get checked out at A&E or a local surgery by walking in or making an appointment, for the cost of an incredibly boring wait, terrible coffee and possibly a hefty car park charge.

You have my upmost sympathy.  Had a near stationary off two weeks ago and landed on a tree stump with my ribs.

It hurt…it hurt a lot!

A few beers and some painkillers allowed me to ride the hour to home…the next morning was excruciating.

I got lucky, I think they’re just bruised and after the first ten days things started to slightly improve.  Sneezing now just really hurts as opposed to feeling like I’m going to pass out.

I’ve been very deliberate about trying to take controlled deep breaths every hour and to not sleep on the opposite side to the pain as that can also apparently lead to lung problems.  However sleeping on my back is still not something I’m used to.

Fingers crossed that I’ll be back close to 100% in another 3-4 weeks.

Hope you heal OK, keep an eye out for symptoms that you’ve punctured a lung or ruptured your spleen which I think are the two main risks.

3.5 weeks after the fall:

I am feeling much better. I appreciate everyone’s kind response in this forum. I thought it would make sense to provide a quick update as I am healing… for others facing the same challenge.

The past two weeks were painful in recovery. I was unable to sleep on my back for quite a few days. However, I believe I am on the mend now. I have sneezed a few times this week without any debilitating pain. I am also able to ride my bike again. I have been spending some time swimming, which is a low impact activity. However, rotating the arms during swimming still hurts the ribs in the back. I believe exercise and rest will get me back to normal soon. I have taken very few pain meds and to this day haven’t even gotten an X-Ray. I decided to put up with the pain, but it is definitely a horrible injury. For anyone facing the same issue, I wish you a speedy recovery.

I broke a couple of ribs, very painful, the other annoying thing was the clicking… took 4 months until I stopped wincing when I moved in certain positions, did them on holiday, took some pain killers and rode through it (carefully)