Broken/cracked rib?

Should I go get an X-Ray if I suspect I might have a broken/cracked rib? I did something dumb today and landed at a high rate of speed impaling myself on a blunt object. I fear I may have cracked one more more ribs near where it connects to the sternum.

I have insurance and have already met my deductible for the year (yay 1.2cm kidney stone!)

I know not much can be done in that case, but at least I wouldn't feel like a berkeleying Bob Costas for this amount of pain if it is really broken. Of course, if it isn't broken, I just outed myself for having a lower pain tolerance than I'd care to admit, but this berkeleying thing HURTS.

Yes, get it Xrayed. If it's just cracked they can't do much for it. But you definitely want to make sure it's not in danger of poking your lung.

Dude, go get checked out.

have you pee'd yet? is it at all darker than it should be? you could have some internal bleeding from damage to an organ other than your ribs.

I was in a skiing accident in HS where a kid going 90* to me side swiped me into a tree. Ended up w/ a lacerated liver. ER doc described it as picture a cantaloupe, then drop it on the ground and it splits open. that's basically what happened to my liver.

if that sounds at all similar to the trauma to your torso, go get checked out. if you tell them you think you might have internal bleeding, you shouldn't end up sitting around in the waiting room for too long.

also, it's two weeks into 2016 and you already met your deductible? damn, dude. sorry.

Honestly, don't bother. Broken ribs hurt. Take some pain meds, but don't wrap them. That's it. That's all there really is to know about it.

*unless you have a flail cheat (two or more ribs broken in two or more places, notable in the paradoxical motion when you breath).

m4ff3w wrote: Should I go get an X-Ray if I suspect I might have a broken/cracked rib? I did something dumb today and landed at a high rate of speed impaling myself on a blunt object. I fear I may have cracked one more more ribs near where it connects to the sternum. I have insurance and have already met my deductible for the year (yay 1.2cm kidney stone!) I know not much can be done in that case, but at least I wouldn't feel like a berkeleying Bob Costas for this amount of pain if it is really broken. Of course, if it isn't broken, I just outed myself for having a lower pain tolerance than I'd care to admit, but this berkeleying thing HURTS.

even if it's not broken, it could well be badly bruised ... those actually hurt as much or more than if it was actually broken

get it x-rayed ... there can be things they can do ... + you really want to know ... bad things can happen with broken ribs if the go undiagnosed ... especially if it's a displaced fracture ...

go get it checked out

good luck

KyAllroad wrote: Honestly, don't bother. Broken ribs hurt. Take some pain meds, but don't wrap them. That's it. That's all there really is to know about it. *unless you have a flail cheat (two or more ribs broken in two or more places, notable in the paradoxical motion when you breath).

I had heard that "they'' had stopped with the wrapping ... anyone know why the change ?

KyAllroad wrote: Honestly, don't bother. Broken ribs hurt. Take some pain meds, but don't wrap them. That's it. That's all there really is to know about it. *unle

This is horrible advice. Chance of a punctured lung, bruised lung, bleeding into/onto lung, internal bleeding... This isn't a "might have broke my finger". This has the potential, albeit small, of being serious. Wouldn't mess with that one.

In reply to wbjones:

Wrapping restricts breathing, which can lead to pneumonia.

In reply to mtn: I'm aware of the possible complications. I'm a medic, but I stand by my advice. Bruised lung--->no treatment. Punctured lung--->bloody coughing---->go get definitive treatment.

Go get an x-ray if you like, it certainly won't hurt anything. I'm just saying that 99% of the time a broken rib or two is treated with pain meds.

(And yeah, wrapping ribs helps you "feel" better but can lead to pneumonia so it's fallen from use for the past 20 years or so)

You really don't do a lot for a simple broken rib. If you are not having any respiratory distress and are not coughing up blood, you are liable to be just fine. Depending on what you did, you might want to be more concerned about the kidney on that side.

WRT pain tolerance, if the kidney stone was 10 out of 10 for pain, what would you rate what you have now?

Pain is probably 7.5/10 Hurts like a motherberkeleyer.

I got X-Rays. They said they couldn't definitively say anything was broken, but ribs can be hard to diagnose. They gave me codeine and flexerill and said if that didn't knock back the pain enough to call my family doctor and he could prescribe something stronger. Also, she said if the pain isn't any better by this time next week, to go get another round of X-Rays.

Thanks everyone.

RealMiniParker wrote: In reply to wbjones: Wrapping restricts breathing, which can lead to pneumonia.

I think I knew that .... but wasn't it done to keep any chance of a displaced fracture from puncturing a lung ?

guess the chance of pneumonia is greater than a punctured lung ...

Glad to hear you got checked out. Pain meds always make me constipated. Be sure to grab some milk of magnesia to prevent that issue. Heal up quick!

wbjones wrote:

RealMiniParker wrote: In reply to wbjones: Wrapping restricts breathing, which can lead to pneumonia.

I think I knew that .... but wasn't it done to keep any chance of a displaced fracture from puncturing a lung ? guess the chance of pneumonia is greater than a punctured lung ...

Ribs come wrapped in a layer of cartilage like you wouldn't believe. It's very rare to break them in such a way that there are sharp ends poking into your lung (and if you do break them that badly, trust me you know it). In four years of ER time and before that in 10 years as a medic in the army, I saw exactly ONE case of a flail chest which endangered the patients lung.

Broken ribs hurt. A lot. The broken is that they always have to move so unlike an arm that you can put in a sling and guard, ribs gotta keep getting used. Holding a pillow to the site may or may not help ease the pain. Mostly it's just a waiting game.

(And the advice about constipation with narcotics is solid. Always take extra liquids and stool softeners with narcotics.)

Good luck, you'll be feeling a lot better in about a week but be several before you feel 100%.

Definitely get yourself checked out to make sure nothing else is busted.

I've had both a bruised and cracked rib, both from dirtbike crashes. They both hurt a lot.

EastCoastMojo wrote: Glad to hear you got checked out. Pain meds always make me constipated. Be sure to grab some milk of magnesia to prevent that issue. Heal up quick!

10-4 on the constipation ... as soon as they started prescribing some real meds for me (the tumor pressing on the R3 nerve head) they started me on laxatives and stool softeners ... even then it took ~ 3 weeks to reach a point I could live with ... still trying to balance the pain med intake v. the laxatives needed ...

ain't life fun

KyAllroad wrote:

wbjones wrote:

RealMiniParker wrote: In reply to wbjones: Wrapping restricts breathing, which can lead to pneumonia.

I think I knew that .... but wasn't it done to keep any chance of a displaced fracture from puncturing a lung ? guess the chance of pneumonia is greater than a punctured lung ...

Ribs come wrapped in a layer of cartilage like you wouldn't believe. It's very rare to break them in such a way that there are sharp ends poking into your lung (and if you do break them that badly, trust me you know it). In four years of ER time and before that in 10 years as a medic in the army, I saw exactly ONE case of a flail chest which endangered the patients lung. Broken ribs hurt. A lot. The broken is that they always have to move so unlike an arm that you can put in a sling and guard, ribs gotta keep getting used. Holding a pillow to the site may or may not help ease the pain. Mostly it's just a waiting game. (And the advice about constipation with narcotics is solid. Always take extra liquids and stool softeners with narcotics.) Good luck, you'll be feeling a lot better in about a week but be several before you feel 100%.

I had heard of rib cartilage tears, being nearly, if not as, painful as an actual broken rib

Where your ribs attach to your sternum(breast plate in center of your chest), it is a joint, so they can go up and down like a bellows when you breathe. You are a lot more likely to injure those joints or the ligaments attaching them together than breaking a rib. This type of injury is not going to look like much on plain films, MRI or CT scan will visualize it better, but is not really going to change what you do about it. You may find that if you alternate ibuprofen or some other anti-inflammatory with the narcotics that it works better to control your pain. Ice pack will also be helpful. 20 minutes out of every hour while you are awake. Don't just leave ice on there, don't want to get frostbite. Pneumonia is a significant concern with this sort of thing. If it hurts to take a deep breath when you inflate your lungs all the way, you won't want to take a deep breath. If you don't inflate your lungs all the way, you tend to get pneumonia. You can do the math. Be advised that it may make you cough when you take a deep breath.

Get some prunes or raisins. Opiates will turn your bowels to concrete. Excellent suggestion about the small pillow to hug to your chest, helps to immobilize it. You REALLY want to do this when you cough or sneeze. Trust and believe that if you sneeze right now it will suck more than somewhat.

Maybe a year ago, I fell off a ladder, and landed on my side, bruising, or cracking some ribs. Hurt like heck, took maybe 6 weeks to feel normal again. Chin up. Its just a waiting game now.

X rays aren't a bad idea but I the 3 times I've broken ribs and the time I broke my sternum they didn't do anything but pain meds. Enjoy the next month and if you have to laugh of cough hug a pillow very tight to your chest.

While there isn't much to be done for a bruised or cracked rib, a broken ribs ability to puncture things shouldn't be taken lightly. If you truly suspect a break, a visit to a doctor or such wouldn't be a bad idea.

I fractured some ribs, then went on my merry (but ouch ouch ouch) way for the rest of a 10 mile mountain bike ride.

Then I went another week and went on a trip to visit from friend up in Erie. While messing around a skateboard I fell, that hurt.

Then I went another week and while back at work I got out of the car and that hurt a lot too.

Finally saw a doctor, 3 fractured ribs on x-ray but luckily no internal damage via CT Scan.

4 fractured ribs at ones getting speared by a long-board when someone else decide to surf without a leash.

Pain meds and time, the wrapping will cause pneumonia. Get fiber supplements for the constipation like Metamucil and it will be a lot easy on your backside.

Another vote for MRI and CT in addition to xray, lacerated spleens don't tickle