Updated visitor guidelines. You are here Home » Fractured Rib. Top of the page. Topic Overview What is a fractured rib? What happens when you break a rib? Your ribs have two main jobs: They protect the organs in your chest.
They help you breathe by keeping space open inside your chest while the muscles you use to breathe squeeze in, or contract. This leaves plenty of space for your lungs to fill up with air. What are the symptoms? A fractured rib may cause: Mild to severe pain in the injured area.
Pain when you breathe. Pain around the fracture when someone pushes on your breastbone. If you can't breathe normally because of your injuries, you may: Feel short of breath.
Feel anxious, restless, or scared. Have a headache. Feel dizzy, tired, or sleepy. How is a fractured rib diagnosed? Your doctor will ask questions about your injury and do a physical exam. The doctor may: Push on your chest to find out where you are hurt. Watch you breathe and listen to your lungs to make sure air is moving in and out normally. Not sure what a contusion is? Rubber bullets and bean bag bullets are considered to be non-lethal weapons.
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Discover risk factors, tips to ensure proper healing, serious complications, and more. Baking soda is one of several methods that can help force splinters to rise to the surface of the skin, where you can more easily remove them.
Health Conditions Discover Plan Connect. Medically reviewed by William Morrison, M. Picture Symptoms Causes Diagnosis Treatment Recovery timeline See a doctor Takeaway Overview Your ribs are thin bones, but they have an important job protecting your lungs, heart, and chest cavity.
Picture of bruised rib. Share on Pinterest. What are the symptoms? Common causes. How long does it take to heal? When to see a doctor. Occasionally, severe coughing can cause a rib fracture, especially in people who have a bone-weakening cancer, or who are elderly or have osteoporosis. Any rib injury should be evaluated by a physician. You will want advice for pain management, as well as to be assessed to see if there has been any other damage. Your rib fracture may be complicated by other injuries.
Upper rib fractures can cause injuries to the large vessels that bring blood to and from the heart. Lower rib fractures can cause injuries to the liver and spleen.
Flail chest can cause a pulmonary contusion, or bruise on the lung that can lead to serious lung conditions and respiratory failure. It is important to see a doctor immediately, seeking emergency care if your rib fracture is accompanied by:. If you have experienced a physical trauma, such as being in a car accident, or you have chest pain which could be a sign of a heart attack , you should call immediately.
A doctor can assess the severity of your rib fracture by performing a physical examination and by looking at a chest X-ray. If you have a complex injury, the or she may want to order further testing such as a CT scan to help diagnose any related injuries. A broken rib can injure blood vessels and internal organs.
The risk increases with the number of broken ribs. Complications vary depending on which ribs break. Possible complications include:. Mayo Clinic does not endorse companies or products. Advertising revenue supports our not-for-profit mission. This content does not have an English version. This content does not have an Arabic version. Overview Broken ribs Open pop-up dialog box Close.
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