Broken ribs – when to seek medical attention?

What’s the script with seeking medical attention for broken or cracked ribs? I appreciate there is very little can be done.

Go to A&E, get an xray, get a proper doctor to tell you there’s nothing else to be done? (It is, after all, what you’re paying your taxes for…)

Don’t tell them you were pwn3d by a three year old though.

As Mogrim says, get an xray to discount a pneumothorax then MTFU

does it hurt when you laugh?

get it checked then accept that they won’t do anything

even bruised ribs are seriously painful

The hospital where I did my A&E would not even xray just send you away and tell you to MTFU

When to get medical attention. If you are sort of breath, if you are coughing blood, if there is a bit of your chest that moves about in odd ways

Personally unless I thought I was developing a chest infection due to shallow breathing/not coughing then I’d just keep taking the ibruprofen and mtfu.

When I did mine, the dr looked at me and said, “what do you expect me to do about it?” 😀

does it hurt when you laugh?

Good idea, tell him a joke:

What’s two feet long and slippery?
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A pair of slippers 😛

Yes it does hurt when I laugh.

A+E were excellent with me

? have I broken a rib,
– [squeeze/poke] looks like it
– what happens now
– don’t laugh or cough, goodbye

*edit (to be fair this was a while ago)

Anti-inflammatories and pain killers for those deep breathing exercises.
Why do you want to go the docs, you big Jessie? They won’t be able to do anything, unless you think you’ve punctured a lung of course.

depends how much pain I guess. I’ve done mine a couple of times but have always been able walk about ok. Getting up out of bed and sometimes off the sofa can be bit tricky but hey ho. Picking up the kettle gave me a bit of a shock once as did pushing open a swing door, stuff like that. But I’d say if you’re generally alright only a few weeks rest can sort it. Last time for me it was eight weeks before I could ride up the kerb without pain and also walk up a fairly steep hill which involved getting a bit of extra air in.

Kev

I wouldn’t go to A&E unless the rib had punctured the skin and was sticking out causing problems with tight fitting clothes 😆

If I moved in a certain way my rib would pop. I stopped moving that way for a while and it seems to have resolved itself, though I wasn’t sure if I heard it the other day but I’m ignoring that.

So long as there isn’t an end sticking inwards…

I found it easier to sleep in an armchair. Also ribs get worse before they get better IME.

Blood … go the hospital …bad pain and hard to breathe …be a man of steel ……clears in a few days

I’ve gone to my GP for stronger painkillers when they’ve been at their worst… Just to let me get at least a little sleep as much as anything else. Docs can’t fix it but they can make it feel a little better.

MTFU!

Try a joint, if the pain goes away its cracked, if smoke comes out of your jumper youve punctured a lung 🙂

Sorry flow, just ‘ribbing’ you

Yes it does hurt when I laugh.

I understood Scots men only laughed when they were paid to do so, just don’t watch any Supergran episodes… 😉

Busted mine last year. As above, don’t bother going to A&E unless there are complications. They will just feel it, tell you it’s broken and refuse to XRay it.

Brace your chest when you sneeze or cough. It will be better in 6 weeks.

the best thing that you can do is get really really drunk to ease the pain.. go for a night on the town.. get beaten up and fall down the stairs when you get home..

it’s character building

As long as the bone has punctured tissue then what TJ said

Go and see a sports physio ?

I mean that’s what you usually say when you are trashing GPs and other Drs… 😉

What the others say. If you haven’t got a pneumothorax, a flail segment, surgical emphysema or signs of a mediastinal injury, not much point in an X-ray. You are usually pretty quick to offer definite diagnoses, so excluding those shouldn’t take you long 😈

Stoatsbrother – I never ever say go and see a sports physio. 😀

Broke 2 last year. doc said rest them. Took 24 hours off then rode. Admittedly painful when breathing hard so got some stronger painkillers.
Back in the UK they felt worse.
A&E x-rayed and confirmed 2 broken.
More painkillers and told to take it easy, so just commuted and didn’t mountain bike.

So I guess it’s up to you dependant on how much pain and worry?

Like others have said, aside from painkillers and checking complications they’ll send you home!

Use a bean bag as a pillow it stops you rolling over in the night and screaming yourself awake.

?, beanbags are well noisy!!

Can you brush your teeth and put your socks on without grunting? And have fun sleeping for the next 6 weeks 🙂

Yep, if no blood is coming out, MTFU.

Edit: BTW, that rule applies to pretty much anything that can go wrong with you. If your fluids are generally staying inside you, you can’t be that bad.