Cracked Rib - How Long and Any Way To Help Speed Recovery?

[Psamathe]

Doing some roof work a few days ago and had a fall onto concrete patio. I guess I was lucky as I could call NHS 111 who decided I clinician should call back who decided an ambulance was needed who after 30'ish mins of loads of tests were unsure about taking me to A&E and my lack of enthusiasm and promise to have family member check up on me later swung it that the decided I could wait until tomorrow and decided myself then about A&E (depending on how I was then). I didn't need A&E.

But, most injuries are recovering faster than expected except for chest sharp pain when I move to certain positions. My guess is a not too serious cracked rib. I'm not too concerned about a formal diagnosis as minor enough not to risk collapsing a lung (from ambulance crew) and if I did take NHS resource and they found cracked rib they couldn't really do anything anyway.

Question: is there anything I can do (eg diet, exercise) or avoid to help speed recovery on the assumption it is a cracked rib?

(I'm not a medic and some of my statements above are from NHS 111, some from ambulance crew and dome my assumptions so I am certainly open to being told I've made wrong assumptions).

nb I do regard myself as incredibly lucky even if I do have a cracked rib - height and surface could have caused much worse outcome.

Many thanks
Ian

 

[si_c]

Sorry to hear that. A cracked rib sucks, I've had a few over the years.

Not much to do aside from wait it out and avoid coughing, laughing and sneezing. It'll get better over time but you'll need to give it a few weeks.

 

[midlandsgrimpeur]

Usual stuff, avoid anything that increases the pain i.e. lifting, twisting etc (in your case steer clear of the positions causing you pain). Cracked or bruised ribs will heal on their, you can do some deep breathing to keep your lungs clear and use an ice pack if needed.

Keep an eye on it, if the pain gets worse or you find you have shortness of breath or other noticeable symptoms then get it checked. I am sure you are fine but on very rare occasions a broken rib can cause internal damage as happened to a mate of mine.

 

[PaulSB]

I broke six ribs in an RTC last June. No, you can't speed up the healing process but by taking care you can avoid hindering it. My ribs took 7/8 weeks to heal but I still feel twinges in some positions.

One comment, you posted "sharp chest pain" and "my guess is." I had six diagnosed broken ribs and no chest pains. Uncomfortable, yes, but nothing I could describe as sharp.

Personally I wouldn't be hanging around guessing if I had sharp chest pain under any circumstances.

 

[Punkawallah]

Seven weeks for broken bones, twelve weeks for soft tissues - sorry, Nature cares not a whit for your needs;
/desires. I’d imagine working where you twist and bend will not speed up matters. The medicos no longer strap up broken ribs, considering it less useful that breathing :-) Seeing as you’ve paid in to the system, you may as well use it and see the doctor.

 

[cyberknight]

mine still aches occasionally and it must be 10 years since i twatted them.

 

[Bazzer]

Cracked one side's bottom two ribs at Tai Kwon Do. Assuming they are cracked, time and giving your body the best chance of healing with nutritious food and making sure your Vitamin D input is good.

 

[Webbo2]

Make sure you take some pain killers as the pain can restrict your breathing which can lead to a chest infection. I got a b@locking from the GP when I didn’t take mine when I broke my ribs.

 

[BrumJim]

Sorry to hear that. A cracked rib sucks, I've had a few over the years.

Not much to do aside from wait it out and avoid coughing, laughing and sneezing. It'll get better over time but you'll need to give it a few weeks.

Definitely the above. Sleeping can also be very painful, but can't be avoided.

I found office chairs to be the most comfortable. Sofas were unbearable (too much pressure on the back in the wrong places), dining chairs were flat and hard, so uncomfortable on the bottom for long periods. Bed wasn't much better.

 

[PaulSB]

Seven weeks for broken bones, twelve weeks for soft tissues - sorry, Nature cares not a whit for your needs;
/desires. I’d imagine working where you twist and bend will not speed up matters. The medicos no longer strap up broken ribs, considering it less useful that breathing :-) Seeing as you’ve paid in to the system, you may as well use it and see the doctor.

I would disagree. In the same RTC I sustained ligament, tendon and rotator cuff injuries in my left shoulder. It took seven months to heal. Ten months from the crash I still get twinges and I'm still working on building the weights I can manage.

 

[craigwend]

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/broken-or-bruised-ribs/

I'd still want to see a Dr, just to rule out anything 'assumed'...

 

[presta]

When I fell over a few years ago I landed on my arm and the pointed bone one the inside of my elbow whacked into my rib cage. Rolling over in bed was extremely painful, and there was a crunching coming from the location where the elbow hit. When I ran a finger along the offending rib I could feel a step in it at the point where all the crunching and pain was coming from.

It took about 6 weeks to heal, and along with the two fingers I broke in the same fall, was probably the most pain I've ever had. Getting in and out of bed was the worst, sitting upright, and coughing weren't too bad by comparison.

avoid coughing

I was told not to stop coughing, because it increases your risk of developing pneumonia.

"breathe normally and cough when you need to – this helps clear mucus from your lungs to prevent chest infections"

 

[si_c]

I was told not to stop coughing, because it increases your risk of developing pneumonia.

"breathe normally and cough when you need to – this helps clear mucus from your lungs to prevent chest infections"

Fair point, I just remember the pain. I don't recall being given that advice, but I possibly wasn't listening too hard .

 

[Psamathe]

Many thanks everybody. Very useful stuff.

I appreciate that assumptions in relation to medical injuries is not always wise but in my case NHS 111 decided to send an ambulance (full thing, not just paramedic) and they spent a fair time checking everything, even bits I said escaped injury. They did examine chest area, did ECGs, listened to breathing, etc. so, whilst I'm always open to suggestions and advice, at the same time I do consider that I've seen professional medics face to face who specialise in injuries (more so than GPs?). Things are better than they were after the fall but I always find assessing myself difficult as it seems more injuries are emerging (nothing major) eg one ankle but I suspect that as other areas hurt less so I'm noticing other areas that are also hurting and recovering slower.

I'm naturally very restrained about using NHS as I tend to feel there are many in far worse condition than myself in greater need yet who are waiting longer than they should. I tend to regard my use of NHS resources is taking those resources from those with greater need. When ambulance attended I was very apologetic and they explained that given my injuries I actually should have called 999 not gone through NHS 111 and were saying how sometimes they arrive to find "My knee's been acing for a few weeks now and I'm worried ...".

Ian

 

[presta]

Fair point, I just remember the pain. I don't recall being given that advice, but I possibly wasn't listening too hard .

At the time of the fall I had a nagging cough that had been dragging on from a recent cold, it's surprising how quickly that cleared up, in spite of the advice.