Broken rib?

November 1, 2015 2:52 PM

Last night, I took a sleeping pill and I needed to use the facilities. I fell and think I cracked a rib. From what I've read (thanks Dr. Google!) all I need is rest and pain meds. The co-pay for an ER visit is prohibitive. Do I really need to do anything other than rest and cough occasionally?
posted by kamikazegopher to Health & Fitness (11 answers total)

Best answer: The NHS website on the subject corroborates what you've heard and gives guidelines for when one does need to seek medical attention for a suspected rib fracture. I'd recommend reading the whole article (it's short) so I won't summarize it here.
posted by telegraph at 3:11 PM on November 1, 2015 [1 favorite]

Best answer: The first time I had broken ribs it hurt to laugh. It healed with no problems.

The second time, there was a lung puncture and it hurt to breath - I had to sleep in a chair for the first three days. (They wanted me back for follow -up xray, but it was $ and I could tell I was better after a while)

Both times the treatment was a wrap around the ribcage and pain meds. Mine were simple and had no complications. YMMV. If you feel any worse, go to doc in box right away. But I would not say it's a critical issue that couldn't wait for your doctor's office tomorrow.
posted by mightshould at 3:19 PM on November 1, 2015 [1 favorite]

Best answer: It's in my link but just to surface this in case the link ever goes dead, wrapping rib fractures is no longer recommended -- it discourages deep breathing and can lead to pneumonia, exacerbated by the pain of coughing/difficulty clearing the lungs.
posted by telegraph at 3:30 PM on November 1, 2015 [4 favorites]

Best answer: I suppose you checked, but sometimes urgent care $ is a lot less than ER $$$. Depends on a number of factors.
posted by forthright at 3:33 PM on November 1, 2015 [1 favorite]

Best answer: I once broke a rib from a terrible coughing fit. The doctor couldn't do anything except gave me an rx for pain medication, since unfortunately I still was fighting a cold and coughing all the time. That back fired and the pain meds made me sick. Throwing up hurt way more than coughing. :(

I am not a doctor, but I don't think this calls for an ER visit. Schedule a visit to your normal doctor when you can get in next. The doctor didn't xray me or anything and told me it was gonna hurt for a while but was not life threatening. However- if you start having trouble breathing call 911- it could be a punctured lung.

Hope you feel better soon. I know how much it hurts, but it will heal!
posted by KMoney at 3:45 PM on November 1, 2015

Best answer: I didn't break ribs but I very badly bruised them in a skiing accident. It hurt to laugh and to breath deeply. For the first few days I couldn't sleep laying on that side of my body. I was fairly immobile for the last part of my trip. When I finally got to see a doctor about 4 or 5 days later, she did send me out for X-Rays but also admitted that there was very little they could do except treat the pain.

It was about a week before I felt comfortable moving around without wincing. It was 3-4 weeks before all traces of the pain went away.
posted by mmascolino at 3:55 PM on November 1, 2015

Best answer: I cracked a rib a few years ago, and the dr said there's nothing to do except rest and pain meds, even if I had broken it, and x-rays were unnecessary because the treatment was the same. So, several weeks of not inhaling sharply and minimizing laughing, and I bought a wireless bra.
posted by umwhat at 5:16 PM on November 1, 2015

Best answer: I work in the ED and often see patients who have fallen and injured their ribs.

Provided there is no concern about an underlying lung injury (Shortness of breath while resting or decreased breath sounds on auscultation) it is not standard practice to XR for rib fractures and management is rest and pain killers with advice to seek review if any breathing concerns arise.
posted by mule at 5:37 PM on November 1, 2015

Response by poster: No difficulty breathing, just kinda painful when I take a really deep breath. Not lung puncture painful. You have all given me permission to lay on the couch and cuddle with my dog and Netflix my cares away.
posted by kamikazegopher at 5:45 PM on November 1, 2015 [1 favorite]

Best answer: You would likely know by now if you had a punctured lung, so just be careful with your torso for a good few weeks.

My best advice to you is to avoid sneezing at all costs, because oh hell it will hurt.
posted by mudpuppie at 5:57 PM on November 1, 2015 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Oh, mudpuppie I did sneeze. I usually kind of suppress my sneezes because they can be loud, but holy cow those 3 sneezes nearly killed me!
posted by kamikazegopher at 6:02 PM on November 1, 2015