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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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What Causes Pain In Ribs After An Injury?

Hello. About 2 weeks ago, I broke both my right hip and two ribs on my right side in a car accident. It still hurts a bit to move around too much but for some reason, when I m just resting in bed, I ll get a sharp, unbearable pain in my ribs. Is there something wrong or is it just the healing process? Is it just soreness? This is my first time ever breaking a rib, so I m pretty lost. I don t know if it has anything to do with anything but I just recently turned 16 so I don t know, maybe taking into consideration I m still growing/developing or something. Thanks.
posted on Thu, 8 Jan 2015
Twitter Fri, 13 Feb 2015 Answered on
Twitter Fri, 13 Feb 2015 Last reviewed on
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Pulmonologist,  's  Response
Thanks for your question on HCM.
I can understand your situation and problem.
In my opinion you are having blunt chest trauma.
And following are the possible complications of blunt chest trauma.
1. Rib fracture
2. Pneumothorax
3. Pulmonary contusions
4. Muscular injury.
So better to get done chest x ray to rule out pneumothorax and contusions. As both of these are common with rib fractures.
And rib fracture will take atleast 21 days for healing.
So you may feel pain for another 2-3 weeks.
You can do following things for better symptomatic relief.
1. Avoid strenuous exercise.
2. Avoid heavyweight lifting.
3. Avoid bad postures in sleep. Avoid movements causing pain.
4. Apply warm water pad on affected site.
5. Start painkiller and muscle relaxant.
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What Causes Pain In Ribs After An Injury?

Thanks for your question on HCM. I can understand your situation and problem. In my opinion you are having blunt chest trauma. And following are the possible complications of blunt chest trauma. 1. Rib fracture 2. Pneumothorax 3. Pulmonary contusions 4. Muscular injury. So better to get done chest x ray to rule out pneumothorax and contusions. As both of these are common with rib fractures. And rib fracture will take atleast 21 days for healing. So you may feel pain for another 2-3 weeks. You can do following things for better symptomatic relief. 1. Avoid strenuous exercise. 2. Avoid heavyweight lifting. 3. Avoid bad postures in sleep. Avoid movements causing pain. 4. Apply warm water pad on affected site. 5. Start painkiller and muscle relaxant.