If you think your ribs hurt, you can often care for yourself at home. Ribs are difficult to splint or support like other bones, so they are allowed to heal naturally.

Broken and bruised ribs are usually treated in the same way, except that X-rays are not necessary to determine the type of injury.

You usually need to seek medical advice if conditions get worse or don’t improve, or if you’ve been in a serious accident. See ‘When to see the doctor’, below, for more information.

How can I tell if my ribs hurt?

A broken or bruised rib will be extremely painful, especially when you take a deep breath.

You may feel like you can only breathe lightly but it is important to clear mucus from your lungs and

To prevent this, you should breathe normally.

Your breast may swell or become tender and the skin may be scaly.

caring for your injury at home

In most cases, you can care for broken or bruised ribs at home. While the injury is healing, pain relief is very important, as breathing or coughing can be very painful during this time. Slow breathing and not coughing to avoid pain can put you at risk of a chest infection.

You can take care of yourself in the following ways:

regularly taking pain-relieving medicines (obtained over-the-counter from a pharmacy), such as

And

(for children under the age of 16

should not be given) – follow the dosage instructions on the packet

• placing an ice pack on the chest – regularly for the first few days to reduce pain and swelling – a bag of cold peas wrapped in a towel can also be used
• Resting from time to time – take time off from work, especially when your work requires physical effort or the pain is severe
• move around between rest periods – walking around and shaking your shoulders from time to time can help you breathe and clear mucus from your lungs
• support the chest with a pillow while coughing
• Breathing Exercises – Take 10 slow, deep breaths every hour so that each time your lungs expand and help keep your lungs clear

Do not wrap the bandage tightly around your chest as this will prevent your lungs from expanding properly. Try to avoid lying down or remaining still for long periods of time. This will help you sleep straight for the first few nights.

Avoid straining and lifting heavy objects until you feel better as you can injure yourself further and take longer to recover. If you smoke, stopping will also aid in recovery.

Necessary information has been given.

When to see a doctor

See your doctor if the pain doesn’t improve in a few weeks. They can give you a prescription for stronger pain-relieving medicines or refer you to hospital for further treatment if necessary.

Get immediate medical help if any of the following more serious symptoms develop:

• shortness of breath
• chest pain

  Increase in

• pain in your stomach or shoulder
• coughing up blood
• coughing up yellow or green mucus
• high temperature (fever) of 38C (100.4F) or more

The above symptoms may indicate a chest infection, or it may be that a broken rib has damaged your lung, causing a collapsed lung (pneumothorax) or damage to another organ, such as the spleen. or lever.

If you were injured in a serious accident, such as a traffic accident, go straight to your nearest emergency department to be evaluated.