Broken ribs healing time

This time last week I crashed out I was knocked out for 30 mins and I broke ribs 2, 3 & 4 on my left chest.

Since then I’ve had 3 days and nights in hospital I have no energy, I’m off work and in pain even with the tablets.

When will I be able to start work – Sales Rep?

When will I be able to start to ride again?

With this in mind please tell me your broken ribs good and bad stories?

Ta

fractured two last year – 4-6 weeks i guess (cannae really remember), although entirely deendant on how ‘broken’ they are 🙂

Watch something funny, or do it in summer so you have hayfever – helps a load 🙂

I did my ribs snowboarding not sure what i actually did as i didn’t go the hospital…
But it was 4weeks before i could sleep remotely properly and about 6wks before i was back to normalish.
And the pain seemed to get worse for about 2wks then start to ease..

Not pleasant 🙁

Broken ribs – OUCH!

Many years ago I had a motorcycle accident in which I broke 3 ribs – from memory it was about 4 weeks before the pain started to go away, don’t worry it does gradually subside over that time! (I know how painful they will be right now!). I remember in the first couple of weeks everytime I moved it was like being stabbed in the chest!

I can not advise & wouldn’t on how long it will be before you can go back to work? I remember the main issue for me was putting on a seat belt (I was also a Sales Rep at the time?) – it was about 6 weeks before I went back to work if that helps? Probably not!

Get well soon buddy.

Watch something funny, or do it in summer so you have hayfever – helps a load

LOL

I broke 2 ribs last april, 2 weeks later ended up with a week in hospital after collapsing with 2 litres of blood/fluid in my chest. You’ll need plenty of painkillers and try to breathe as deeply as you can to clear your lungs and keep the mucous in them moving. The last thing you’ll want is Pneumonia!

I was back at work 2 weeks after I was discharged from hospital and riding (gently) about 5 weeks after I broke them.

Strange thing was I was in very little pain for the 2 weeks after I broke them, only really hurt getting into and out of bed, but it was fun hearing the bones cracking and rubbing together when I took a deep breath!!

Chin up plenty of rest and you’ll soon be out riding, at least you’ll be missing the winter weather!!!

6 weeks plus for one or 2 ribs. Done it twice. But I was working again 1 week later both times. Yours sounds worse.

Depends how broken they are. I fractured 3 last year and was back on the bike in 4 weeks and painless in 6. Was working after 3 days sounds like yours are bad but they heal up pretty quickly.

Thanks to all for your guidance

About 2 months after I broke 3 ribs in France, best bit of advice I can give is don’t sneeze, just let your head explode it will be less painfull.

Seems very variable to me, the first time I broke the 2 on my right I was never off work, and I was back riding after 3 weeks (though not at full pace for a little longer). But then I broke one of those again and I was floored, and 4 or 5 weeks later I was just back on the bike. When I did the same injury on the other side it took about 5 weeks, but that time I got a cold after a week which I think didn’t help it heal…

Agree on the sneezing front. I recall nearly passing out from the pain from that one. Coughing was pretty brutal too.

I also ended up having to tie a rope to the end of the bed to pull myself up in the morning at the pain was biblical (3 bad breaks) when trying to get up.

I was off the bike for 5 or 6 weeks, but that was only gentle riding at that point, it was still bloody sore. It was probably 2 months before I was 100% pain free.

I was told I had 2-4 subluxated (dislocated) ribs, I’ve been in pain for about 4 weeks now, my osteopath was pretty successful yesterday so hopefully I’m on the mend, oh except I have now contracted Fish Flu and have spent the last 34hrs both awake, coughing & sneezing. Misery loves company eh.

break mine every 9months ish. worst was when i was racing and still trained. used to get pushed home when the pain got too much 🙂

Broke 5 ribs once. 6 weeks until I felt reasonably normal and was able to go back to work. Another two weeks before I was back on the road bike and three months before I felt things were sufficiently mended to survive an off on the MTB

Broke a couple after I slipped and fell on the bike and got an SPD in the chest. Was in proper pain for a few weeks, but had continuing discomfort for months when turning over in bed.

Asked hospital how long the pain would last. They said months and I was not prepared to give up riding for months, so…………….

Rode Skyline at Afan the week after! Fell, as well but it was over the bars and landed on my back and actually not too painful.

Not normally quite so devil-may-care about pain or so willing to “man up”

Sleeping is impossible because you keep turning over & over to get comfortable but can’t.
Painkillers don’t work.
Anti-inflammatories do work, but you can’t take them because they slow down bone growth.
So just get on with life. It’s like normal life but with added pain.

and sneezing is the last thing you want to do

I did 2 in a motorbike accident almost two years ago. Really, really very painful. You have my sympathy.

In order of increasing magnitudes of pain:

Breathing < dumping < sleeping < coughing < laughing < sneezing

You really, really don’t want to sneeze.

I was back at work trhe following day and co-codamol and brufen really helped get me through.

Broken several over the years and as per advice above, don’t sneeze, don’t cough and FFS don’t watch any comedy……….

…….and TAKE THE PAINKILLERS !

Take it easy and GWS- trying to do too much too soon is not good.

All I want to do is to sleep through the pain.

Is this normal?

nite, nite……

I remember that sleeping in an armchair avoided the stab of pain caused by turning over.

It’s worse in June when you have hay fever 😯

I always sleep on my side. Waking up in the middle of the night in a silent scream/panting/sweating was soooooo much fun 🙁

At least the creaking/rubbing of the bones has given way, but the muscle aches and bruises are still here.

Off work for another week for more recovery as I don’t think I can change gear as it’s on my left side.

As they say in Monty Pythons Holy Grain “I’m getting better”

Just broke my hip. Sounds like I got off lightly compared to you guys 🙁

I have got a cracking scar though and some nice metalwork – roll on the first airport checkin

back on my bike after 3 weeks , come on kiwi man up as tracey would say 😆

i’ve only bruised ribs and sternum on two seperate occasions, both from trying to eject and somehow landing on my saddle, that was bad enough for about 3 weeks so you have my simpathys with broken ones

come for a night ride now John, i might be able to keep up with you atm!

rOcKeTdOg – I’ll take you up on that offer of a night ride next month or the month afterwards.
Which mid week night do you normally ride on?

sleeping was worst – about 2-3 weeks of painful lack of sleep.
6 weeks until properly healed, but not time off sick.

JohnClimber – Member
rOcKeTdOg – I’ll take you up on that offer of a night ride next month or the month afterwards.
Which mid week night do you normally ride on?

any night i can or the NW Alps posse is free, but can tailor to suit you so you just let me know and i’ll work around that

Done it been there.. twice
Work….No time off as desk jockey at the time.
Ride again… back on bike after 3 to 4 weeks
broken rib story….me and my bro outlaw both had off’s during a trip to Scotland resulting in rib injuries. The drive home was fun until we had to try and get out of the van to get food and diesel. Looked like a pair of old geezers who had shat themselves 😳

Thanks all.

Update.

Still not getting a good nights sleep and I can’t sleep on my left side (my prefered side) mainly because of my hip which I landed on but didn’t break.

3 sneezes so far yesterdays didn’t hurt as much as the two the two day before.

3 full days off sick plus a couple of 1/2 days and I worked from home (working 100%) until this time last week then a normal full week, then on the road although it really knackered me out each evening.

Still uncomfy but mainly with aches rather than pains.

Next Saturday morning is planning to be my first ride out but at a very leisurely pace over flat non technical ground, but it’s a ride all the same.

Hey John sorry to hear about your ribs – looks like you are slowly getting better. Take it easy and hope the ride goes well next week 😀

Arnica is your freind! Helped me when I bust my ribs…

I’ve broken quite a few, must land funny when I fall off. They are extremely painful. I’ve been back on the bike within two weeks but it hurt.

You will probably have heard this already, but when sleeping (or trying to sleep) you should lie on your injured side and splint your broken ribs with a pillow. Seems wrong, but works.

When sneezing, press hard into (splint) your ribs before/during the sneeze.

I wouldn’t recommend road riding for a while (the position and vibration isn’t very rib friendly), but you should be back on the mountain bike before long.

Good luck!

Oh yeah, and if you’re taking co-codamol, consider also taking laxatives. You really, really, really don’t want to be constipated.

trust me…

Update. If you give a $hit.

My ribs feel 90% better, but my left hip and left shoulder still hurt enough that I can’t sleep on that (my prefered) side.

Ibuprofen is my best friend but I’m back on the bike twice a week now, but only up to half speed and distance.

I just need to shift the Christmas and laid up lb’s I’ve piled on.

One tip – keep the rubber on the deck if you’re not clipped in….

Broke mine in 2009 and again in 2010. In 2009, it took about 6 weeks to ride again and 6 months to loose all traces of pain.

In 2010, I was due to visit the 7 Stanes with my son 9 days aftyer the crash later – Determined not to let him down, I managed to ride them strapped up with support bandages and on a cocktail of Tramadol, Codeine and Paracetamol. Probably not what the Doctors would advise, but it just goes to show that where there’s a will…