Thursday evening, Hotel in Dublin, bathroom was three steps up from bedroom. Went for a wee in the middle of night, forgot about steps on way back to bed.

Hit the ground with a tremendous sack-of-potatoes THUD. managed to miss anything that would have killed me, except for the floor itself.

Quite sore on Friday, Saturday a little worse (was travelling back, so carrying bags, dragging bike box etc through airports/train stations), Sunday went for a gentle-ish 2hr ride then gentle swimming with youngest, was uncomfortable but liveable.

Today – unspeakable agony. All the classics – lift hand above head, stretching, moving, sitting, lying down, breathing deeply… but mostly of course coughing are spots in the eyes painful.

No real reason for this post other than a cathartic sharing of my pain, and not wishing this on anyone else.

ooyah!!

It’s a pretty horrible experience, I am used to it so know what to expect, biggest advice my doctor gave was to make sure every so often you try and take a full deep breath as constant shallower breathing leaves moisture on the lungs and can increase the risk of pneumonia

Did mine again about 5 weeks ago after going over the bars things are just starting get easier over than lying down in bed.

Steps are evil bastards and you have my sympathy

Just try to avoid sneezing coughing laughing lifting …

I feel your pain. In the last 12 months, in three separate incidents, I’ve cracked my intercostal cartilidge, broken a rib and then cracked the cartilidge again (by mtbing, skiiing and running).  I am sympathetic.

Dont sneeze and what ever you do dont go over the bars and land on em again a month later.

Advise from a clumsy hay fever sufferer!!!

+1 to the avoid sneezing and coughing. You really don’t want to be doing that.

+1 for ensuring you take the occasional big breath.

Ha! I’ve done the same, but I was nearing the end of a fantastic run at Bike Park Wales, got a bit too close to my son’s back wheel and somehow overshot the berm, ended up bouncing along the rocks on my chest. Trying to tell him I was ok came out as a loud “Aurgh, aargh, auugh hurgh!”

Bloody painful, but more annoying/disappointing that we still had half a day on our uplift passes and had to spend it in A&E instead. 🙁

Now it just bloody hurts.

Aside from those things that cause pain mentioned above: Whistling for the dog! Now that is painful!

Been there and bought the t-shirt, many times (all from a combination of bike and skiing). Including the having to drag luggage (big backpack as well), but didn’t think it was as bad as it was at the time. Though most have been bruised ribs. Hurts like hell. Though been able to do gentle rides not long after, but sleeping, sneezing and coughing are the worst.

One time I’m sure was broken given the 3+ months it took to stop hurting and the bit I could feel floating about under the ribs (could have been cartilage though). I gave up going to the hospital after first time and they just said there’s nothing that can be done, just MTFU. Though if something really is broken I suppose you should just get checked for potential of punctured lung etc. They weren’t interested in doing an x-ray though to check.

I learnt that when expecting a cough or sneeze to put my hand over the ribs affected and lean against a door frame or wall to stop them expanding, seemed to help a little.

I did visit a Dr (well, I work with one), and he listened to the chest which sounded normal, no blood going out etc.

So, yeah, basically: MTFU.

Just shed a tear as I reached up to the bathroom cabinet for some deodorant. Sweet Joseph of nazareth, what devilry is this!🤯😂

You have my sympathies mate.  As above, time and sensible movement is the only healer.

Did mine years ago on one of the stupid sections at Ranmore.  Brushing teeth, putting on shoes etc hurt like buggery.

@big_scot_nanny – have you got an ice pack? Hugely relieved the pain after holding a ice pack on for 10-15 mins.

Done mine 3 times since hitting 40 and never before.

Last day of holiday, find we aren’t going home due to the Icelandic Volcano, but as we were on a package holiday, no problems. Go get some water pistols and have a massive water fight with the kids. Who runs down the side of the pool and slips. My god did it hurt – didn’t dare go near the docs as we didn’t know when we were flying. Had to sleep upright.  Was off bike two weeks, then had to take it easy riding to work as couldn’t pull on bars.

Next time was 2014, clipped from behind by a car and landed on my head (helmet) and side. Knew then I’d bust my ribs. Rode partway home, but pain too much to get up the hill. Called wife (gulp).

Worse time was a year later in 2015, when I broke ribs 9,10,11 & 12 as well as vertebrae L1 and T12.  Let’s say hospital wasn’t bothered about the ribs, despite them being most painful.

Every time they had to ‘log roll me’ (moving me to a bed/onto various scanners) the muscled around my ribs would spasm, then sending my back muscles to spasm too – that was incredibly painful, despite shed loads of morphine. Got put on diazepan as well to stop the spasm.

Main points, take painkillers, codeine is good for stopping coughing, so as a minimum get co-codamol over the counter – you need to breath deeply, and this allows you to do that as you are at risk of pneumonia (believe it or not).

Back on the bike when the pain lets you.   I healed my ribs within six weeks when I broke my back as I was on complete rest (no moving) but it took longer for the pain to go when back on the bike with the other two occasions.

Yep, 4 weeks yesterday since I bruised or cracked mine in a OTB.  Still can’t really ride off road for any time without a sleepless night ensuing…

Have you had an x-ray? Are they actually broken or just bruised? You should probably should see a doctor if you haven’t already.

I’ve had bruised ribs, which hurt like a bastard. I crashed my bike at walking pace, went over the bars and ended up with the bike on top of me. Hurt mildly so I rode home, then they started hurting really bad the next day. I initially assumed they were fractured because they hurt so bad, but a friend who is experienced in these matters assured me that I would not have ridden my bike home and been active if they’d really been broken, not bruised. Broken ribs are, by his account, on a different level of pain. Based on that, I doubt you would have been hauling luggage, riding a bike, swimming, etc if they really were broken. Whatever the case, you won’t believe how long they take to stop hurting. It’s amazing.

I was at a Red Bull SkyRide kitesurfing event in Tarifa and came back with two cracked ribs.
I try to avoid mentioning I did them in whilst dicking around on baggage trollies at Malaga Airport.

😎 NOT.

i hit a car once and broken 9 ribs on my right side, that definitely smarted a bit!

I found those sticky heat pads to be a relief.

A bit of forum trivia: My first ever thread on STW was to  report on the sad tale of how I broke two ribs  going OTB to avoid running over a dog

You cruel bastard. Oh, trying to avoid, that’s ok then 😀

Just remembered I cracked  4 one side and 5 the other when I hit a steering wheel (I had a seatbelt on, but the front of my MK1 Escort came to join me in the passenger compartment.)
Didn’t really notice it too much at the time because of the other damage (cracked sternum in 2 places, both ankles and lots of bones in my feet smashed when the pedals shot back 2 ft. plus collarbones and muscle tears.

It went straight to the top of the list however when I sneezed a few days later pulling apart all the bits that were knitting together.

High fibre diet…

You have my sympathies OP. Nothing for it but to tough it out with the help of painkillers and anti-inflamatores I’m afraid. Worth getting the quack to check you out as they can give you some decent prescription painkillers.

Someone above mentioned taking some good deep breaths every hour. Doc gave me the same advice when I broke mine. Helps prevent chest infection.

Also if you need to cough wrapping a bath towel tightly round your chest will help support it and ease the pain

I broke a rib 24 years ago after riding SPD’s for the first time. Actually not the first time, no-one falls of the first time, the trouble starts later on when you first get used to them and forget you are clipped in.

johnx2

High fibre diet…

good point, well made.

It hurts like a mofo – only done mine once, snowboarding and ballsing up a rail and landing on my chest.

Lying down and rolling over in bed were awful. As for coughing / sneezing…jesus.

High sided a few years ago avoiding a bloke in woodland camo walking up Doris and Burt in Friston.  Slammed into the ground very hard creasing my helmet and hurting my side.  Combination of blow to the head and adrenaline meant I stayed out for another 10 miles before I succumbed to the pain.

It was months before I could sleep properly due to my ribs and sneezing put me on my knees, nearly reducing me to tears.

six weeks and two days ago. The last ride I did on my 26er before buying a new bike. It must’ve known and threw me over the bars in anger, but not quite far enough and I landed on the bike. I’m still unable to ride my new Giant Anthem properly. Maybe next week, or the week after.

Nothing for it but to tough it out with the help of painkillers and anti-inflamatores I’m afraid. Worth getting the quack to check you out as they can give you some decent prescription painkillers.

lol! this is the third time I’ve done my ribs and I’ve never even considered painkillers.

Broke five including double first ribs, plus a sternum. Paracetamol and ibuprofen helped. To be honest the other injuries hurt so much that the ribs were not so bad.

Cracked a couple at the bike show on the wooden pump track. Those hurt more!

Heal fast.

Broke 3 hitting the back of a stationary car. Was somewhat painful. Wife poked me in the ribs day after accident and I came round on the floor, she is still wearing the effects of paying that one back 2 years later ! Even now they still hurt a bit.

Ah, some wonderful stories, thanks folks 😆

More comfortable night in bed, better sleep, so feeling good today.

Unfortunately the pain seems to have changed so that now if I raise my arm above shoulder height for any reason (e.g. putting on a t-shirt), Darth Maul arrives in my room and slices me through the chest, slowly, with a light saber. **** me.

I need some ketamine to brush my bloody teeth!

I have broken/bruised my ribs quite a few times, the three that come to mind

Practising a manual in the garage on a brakeless BMX – landed flat on floor and knocked myself out for a minute or two

Snowboarding on first day of holiday and elbowed myself in ribs

And stupidest one of all was leaning over my saddle and wrenching up the nut on rear axle as hard as I could on a singlespeed bike.  I heard that one

Luckily I have a very high pain threshold (seems genetic) so I can still ride gently and do most other things although they do hurt a bit.

Beginning to think (hope!) I haven’t got any breakages… recovery seems too quick. Hurts like crap at night, but through the day feeling improvements. Was on the phone yesterday, when a sneeze took me by surprise – “A-choo! AARGH!” luckily it was a mate on the other end and no-one important 😆

Got the Big Bike Bash on the weekend, would be dull dull dull if I couldn’t ride!

Blimey I’m typing this with a broken collar bone and bruised ribs after a crash on Saturday. The ribs certainly hurt more than the collarbone but neither is as bad as a broken rib, from the descriptions above, so I reckon I got off lightly.

My sympathy. Had a busted rib after being round-housed whilst dojo-sparring with a black belt once. Still got the lump from the boneset.

Mind you, I’d have been happier with that instead of the mtb version which was a 3-thoracic vertebrae burst fracture…

On the upside, ibuprofen/codeine/paracetamol/tramadol four times a day whilst waiting 11 days for the operation was nice.  🤪

I reckon I got off lightly.

Just that different people have different pain thresholds naturally so you are probably lucky like me.  The only pain I take anything for is a headache.