broken rib

[samthaman]

i broke the cartilage in my rib when i was in utah and i'm pretty sure i re-broke it in a fall today. aside from taking it easy (who has time for that?) any suggestions for making this thing feel better and actually get better as quickly as possible?

[Vinman]

broken rib vs. costocartiage separation?

Either one will heal in a few weeks but you should be more careful with a broken rib. You don't want it puncturing anything like your lungs, liver, spleen, heart etc etc.c

To make yourself more comfy for everyday stuff try wrapping your ribs lightly with an ace wrap

[samthaman]

broken rib vs. costocartiage separation?

Either one will heal in a few weeks but you should be more careful with a broken rib. You don't want it puncturing anything like your lungs, liver, spleen, heart etc etc.c

To make yourself more comfy for everyday stuff try wrapping your ribs lightly with an ace wrap

it sucks, i've never had an injury/sickness that ever actually sidelined me for long until now. i've skied through, mono (inflamed spleen), blown MCL, second impact syndrome, broken thumb and many a case of shin bang, but the rib thing just blows.

edit: sex actually hurts too, which is seriously, seriously, lame.

[nancie2k]

there are rib belts that will help wth the pain, but make sure you do deep breathing so you keep lungs expanded and don't get pnemonia. a little heat also helps.
4-6 weeks to heal.

[Rideski]

In all the years of crashes; I had never hurt my ribs until this last Summer. The pain was unsettling due to its uniqueness. The pain reverberated through my whole body at the slightest movement.

I got a massage from a pro in the sports injury field and it actually made it hurt worse for a day or two, and then went back to the previous pain, but overall I think it helped.

About 5 weeks in I was going to cave and go get x-rays. The next morning it was gone.

In conclusion, just tell yourself you're going to the hospital, and you will be healed.

[samthaman]

there are rib belts that will help wth the pain, but make sure you do deep breathing so you keep lungs expanded and don't get pnemonia. a little heat also helps.
4-6 weeks to heal.

thanks, for some reason the doc in utah who originally diagnosed me just said "take it easy, just ski groomers, and don't fall" and didn't give me a timetable.

rideski: i agree, its a very weird pain in that it hits your whole body. i usually crack my own back by twisting, consequently now that i can't twist my back is getting really stiff and uncomfortable. every once in a while something like laughing or sneezing will hurt way more than it should.

[robgoose]

Do Not wrap in an ace bandage... But, holding a pillow up against your ribs ( when you need to cough can help (advil is also nice).

I found that the worst pain was in Weeks 2-3, and then it started getting better.

[F#*k you cat]

second on not wrapping your ribs. This could lead to pnomnia.
Rest, Massage, and Pain Pills are your keys to sucess.

[OldSchool1080s]

I did the same thing at Utah back in December... bruised a rib, bruised a lung, and tore some cartilage... I was told by the doc to not wrap them, just to rest. Also, they said to take deep breaths in order to avoid pneumonia. As for taking care of it... what worked best for me was to just sleep in increments of ~5 hours. It seemed that if my body was static for longer this period of time my ribs would begin to hurt with the same shooting pain as when I broke both my tibia and fibula. I guess the only advice is to just let it play its course. I had my fall 38 days ago and my ribs still hurt when I do something wrong. Best of luck. Ribs suck my ass

Andrew

[AsheanMT]

eat lots of chicken bones and chicken cartilage.

[Dside11-11]

I may have a broken rib. I hit the front on my ribs on a rock while skiing a steep slope. The front is tender, and the back near where my ribs meet my spine just got worse today while working - I had a pop and all the sudden a huge increase in pain. Poling is also pretty painful in my serratus and lats.

I skied and hucked all weekend after the injury, and it wasn't too bad. It seems to have gotten worse since i have been resting. Should I be worried?

[YoEddy]

Yup, from multiple personal experience I can say you're screwed. Weeks to heal ... depending. I would actually prefer a break over a cartilage injury - they seem to take longer to heal.

In my totally layman opinion if you can sneeze and it's no big deal they aint broke.

[skiing-in-jackson]

Yeah...

Super Painful. I broke 2-3? ribs a few years ago skiing- sliding a race course no less- totally stupid fall

It was the worst pain I could imagine. I didn't go to the doctor. I just kept skiing- gently- for the rest of the season. It hurt terribly if i was laying down, if I was walking, if I was doing anything. i just didn't think about it if i was making turns.

Heal up fast & breath deeply every time-

[montanagirl]

I never thought I would be afraid to cough or sneeze- until I broke a rib. Good luck and heal fast- it just takes time.

[Dantheman]

Rest, ice, ibuprofen, possibly some pain meds to help you sleep at night (keep the dose low though, you're already breathing shallow). Otherwise, not much else you can do besides tough it out.

In my experience, lying down was the most painful position, so I slept upright on the couch for awhile with pillows stacked on both sides of me to keep me from falling over. Combined with one percoset before bed time I actually slept pretty well.

[shugs]

I just broke a rib at Squaw on Fri. This sucks. Like others have said, its hard for me to make sudden movements and to get in/out of bed. What can I do for exercise for the time being...?

[skier666]

^^^^

Go skiing prehaps?

[samthaman]

apparently the only thing you can do for it is rest. Ribs more than any other injury i've had (i have quite a resume) fuck with your head and kill your confidence. You never know exactly when it will hurt or how much so you find yourself hesitating all the time. i think i'm only getting over this now. on the plus side i found however that you can use it as a perfect catch all excuse for pretty much anything.
for example:

take out the trash - "i cant, my rib hurts"
sex - "get on top, my rib hurts"
excuse to say stupid shit - "its the pills talking, i just broke my rib"
essay due tomorrow - "professor i can't i broke my rib, the pills are messing with me"

and my personal favorate once you've healed a little more = "let me get first dibs on this line, i need the softest landing so i don't re-break my rib"

give it a shot, noone will ever question it and you can use it long after you've healed

get better man its a shitty injury to have.

edit: dont listen to 666, i hucked big the day after i did my rib and i'm pretty sure it didnt help anything. once it starts to heal for real though you really really don't wanna break it again, it hurt more than the first time when i did it the second time and it lengthens your heal time a lot.

[shugs]

take out the trash - "i cant, my rib hurts"
sex - "get on top, my rib hurts"
excuse to say stupid shit - "its the pills talking, i just broke my rib"
essay due tomorrow - "professor i can't i broke my rib, the pills are messing with me"

Haha, love it

[skier666]

dont listen to 666,

Can't the older brother give his younger brother a hard time?

[samthaman]

Can't the older brother give his younger brother a hard time?

didn't know, fire away