Suggest Treatment For Sore And Painful Chest After Injury

Posted on Mon, 6 Feb 2017

Question: My son was in a fight today and was kicked in the chest. He said it hurts when he breathes in and is really sore
Is there a possibility that his heart was bruised? I'm afraid to let him go to sleep for fear of him not waking up.

Answered by Dr. Mahaveer Patil (29 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
Seems to be a rib fracture

Detailed Answer:
Hi,

Thank you for posting the query.

From the history that you have mentioned,it seems that your son may have sustained a rib fracture. This causes pain while breathing,coughing,sneezing etc.

Its difficult to damage one's heart by kicking as it is well protected deep inside the ribcage.

I suggest you to get his chest Xray done to rule out rib fracture with a possible damage to pleura or lungs.

Possibilities of haemothorax (bleeding inside lungs) should be kept in mind.

If he is experiencing only pain,then give him analgesic muscle relaxant tablets, a rib belt and rest.

If he feels breathless,then you should immediately consult a doctor for further treatment.

I hope the answer was useful.

Feel free to ask me any doubts that you may have.

Thank you.

Best regards.

Note: For further queries, consult a joint and bone specialist, an Orthopaedic surgeon. Book a Call now.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Remy Koshy