What are the symptoms of rib fracture

The ribs are located in our chest cavity. If the ribs are fractured, the patient will feel obvious pain. For example, if you cough or feel chest pain when you take a deep breath, you should seek medical treatment immediately when you discover such obvious symptoms.

Clinical manifestations

1. Local pain is the most obvious symptom of rib fracture, and it worsens with movements such as coughing, deep breathing or body turning. Sometimes patients can hear or feel the bone friction themselves.

2. Pain and destruction of chest stability can limit respiratory movement, shallow and rapid breathing, and reduced alveolar ventilation. Patients dare not cough and have sputum retention, which can cause obstruction of lower respiratory tract secretions, lung consolidation or atelectasis. This should be paid special attention to in the elderly and weak patients or those with existing lung diseases.

3. When flail chest exists, when inhaling, the negative pressure in the chest cavity increases, and the softened part of the chest wall sinks inward; when exhaling, the chest cavity pressure increases, and the damaged chest wall floats and bulges, which is opposite to the movement of other chest walls. This is called "paradoxical respiratory movement". Abnormal respiratory movement can make the chest cavity pressure on both sides unbalanced, and the mediastinum moves back and forth to the left and right with breathing, which is called "mediastinal swing", affecting blood return and causing circulatory dysfunction. It is one of the important factors leading to and aggravating shock.