How to recover quickly from rib injury

"It takes a hundred days to heal a broken bone." The elders often tell us this. If any bone in a part is injured, it needs to be well taken care of and rest for a hundred days. The ribs are located between the chest and abdomen, and irritation of the bones can cause people to have stomach aches or pain in the area below the chest. How can you recover faster from rib injuries? Here are some methods summarized by the editor.

First, let’s talk about which ribs are most likely to fracture. The 1-3 ribs are short and thick, and are protected by the clavicle and scapula, so they are not easily fractured; the 4-7 ribs are long and thin, and are the easiest to break. If they are fractured, it is easy to cause damage to the abdominal organs and diaphragm. The costal cartilage at the front end of the 8th to 10th ribs forms a costal arch and is connected to the sternum. The front end of the 11th to 12th ribs is free and has greater elasticity, making them less likely to fracture. Therefore, the ribs 4-7 are the most vulnerable to fracture. Multiple rib fractures in multiple locations can cause the chest wall to lose complete rib support and soften, resulting in abnormal respiratory movements.

Secondly, let’s talk about the clinical manifestations. Fractures stimulate the intercostal nerves and cause pain. It is not normal if it does not hurt. It will be aggravated when breathing, coughing or turning. Chest pain causes shallow breathing, weak cough, increased respiratory secretions and retention, which can easily lead to atelectasis and lung infection. Inward displacement of the front end of the fracture may puncture the pleura, intercostal vessels and lung tissue, causing hemothorax, pneumothorax, subcutaneous emphysema or hemoptysis. The fracture ends in the late post-injury period are believed to cause delayed hemothorax or hemopneumothorax.

Then let’s talk about how to treat it. The principles of this treatment are analgesia, clearing respiratory secretions, stabilizing the chest, and preventing complications. Analgesics can be used to relieve pain, and patients should be encouraged to cough and expectorate, and get out of bed and move around early to reduce respiratory complications. The following are the methods to stabilize the chest:

1. Closed single rib fracture means that only one rib is broken and the bone stump is not exposed. This type of fracture usually has little dislocation and can basically heal on its own. The purpose of fixing the thorax is to reduce the movement of the rib ends and relieve pain. The outline can be fixed with wide tape strips, multi-strip tape or elastic chest straps. You can usually buy an elastic chest strap at the hospital. This method is also suitable for patients with multiple rib fractures in the chest, back, and side walls, and patients with mild abnormal respiratory movements in the area of ​​chest wall softening.

2. Closed multiple rib fractures: For patients with flail chest who have a large range of chest wall softening and obvious abnormal respiratory movements, a traction bracket should be placed on the chest wall on the injured side. Use towel clamps or introduce stainless steel wire on the body surface to grasp the free end ribs and fix them on the traction bracket to eliminate abnormal respiratory movements of the chest wall.