{"id":10527,"date":"2019-09-06T13:28:51","date_gmt":"2019-09-06T13:28:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/simplyhealth.io\/?p=10527"},"modified":"2021-06-29T13:24:17","modified_gmt":"2021-06-29T13:24:17","slug":"15-common-causes-of-a-broken-rib","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/simplyhealth.io\/15-common-causes-of-a-broken-rib\/","title":{"rendered":"15 Common Causes of A Broken Rib"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Broken and fractured ribs are a common type of injury, and statistics say that at least 10% of people who are admitted to the emergency room for any type of chest trauma every year will have fractured ribs. If you have fractured or broken a rib, you are likely to experience symptoms that include extreme pain, swelling at the location of the fracture, pain while breathing and associated bruising that\u2019s usually much darker and prominent than you would have seen in the case of a regular bruise or bump. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A broken or fractured rib is considered serious, and warrants immediate tests (usually x-rays) to establish the extent of the injury and how to best treat it. After this, a thorough six to eight week healing period is recommended, although the injury might require surgery in extreme cases. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are 8 of the most common causes of a broken rib that you should know about.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Car Accidents<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The average emergency room will see thousands of car accident victims every year, and many of these result in traumatic fracture injuries, of which broken ribs account for approximately 10% of all chest trauma victims. Broken ribs are most commonly sustained due to a direct impact absorbed by the chest, and enough of an impact to break or fracture <\/a>a rib. In the case of car accidents, it\u2019s especially commonly caused by things like steering wheels, dashboards, airbags or debris thrown around the accident site.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you have been in a car accident, even if any obvious immediate injuries aren\u2019t apparent after the accident has taken place, get to the emergency room. Sometimes the initial trauma of having been in an accident can override initial injuries \u2013 don\u2019t consider yourself \u201cfine\u201d after a car accident until you have seen a medical professional to confirm this with a simple examination after the event.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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2. Pedestrian Accidents<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Car accidents don\u2019t just affect the people behind the wheel, but also commonly affect and injure pedestrians at just as an alarming rate. Thousands of people are hit by cars every year, with injuries that range in severity \u2013 and commonly results in broken ribs and other common fractures such as a tibial plateau<\/a> break, which happens from the impact of the front of the car hitting against the shin.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Broken ribs are a very common type of injury for pedestrian accidents; if you have been involved in any type of accident, see your doctor first before assuming that you\u2019re fine. Even if you aren\u2019t experiencing any severe initial symptoms, you could still have a broken rib without realizing it \u2013 and the worst of the symptoms might only show themselves later on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A trip to the emergency room to have a break or fracture treated immediately can save you a lot of pain later on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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3. A Bad Fall<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Falls are common and they happen at a rate of a few thousand every year. Even though people might associate serious types of rib fractures resulting from falls with older people, they can happen to anyone and at any age \u2013 although there are many underlying health conditions out there (such as arthritis) which can make the likelihood of this type of rib fracture increase. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you have sustained any type of fall where pain or bruising <\/a>is present, make a trip to the emergency room or doctor to ensure that the break or fracture is examined; sometimes the damage might be worse than initially thought, and breaks and fractures can still be present even where you suspect that it was only a slight injury rather than a break.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

X-rays can help to establish the extent of the injury and how to best treat it from there. For the recovery period, walking aids might be needed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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4. Repeated Coughing<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A sudden and severe impact to the ribs is usually the most common way in which this type of fracture or break is sustained, but it\u2019s not just sudden trauma which can cause a broken rib. Sometimes it\u2019s repetitive trauma over a longer period of time that creates enough pressure to fracture or pop ribs \u2013 and in this case, repetitive coughing <\/a>can be this type of associated strain.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Repeated coughing is one of the ways in which ribs can fracture; this can often be associated with long bouts of flu, bronchitis or any other medical conditions where repeated or chronic coughing is a symptom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you aren\u2019t sure what might be causing the symptoms, see your doctor for a diagnosis first. If the initial cause for the coughing isn\u2019t treated with the rib, the injury is likely to worsen or just happen again over time as the coughing continues past this point. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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5. Repetitive Strain<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Coughing isn\u2019t the only type of repetitive strain<\/a> injury that exists, and there are thousands of other ways in which you can cause enough strain to the ribcage to fracture it. Some of these repetitive strain injuries can include picking up and carrying a lot of heavyweights, or sometimes injuries that involve everything from backpacks through to bungee jumping.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you notice any bruising around the ribs or pain after any kind of physical activity, it could be likely that you have sustained a rib fracture \u2013 particularly if there was any impact or pressure to the ribcage or surrounding areas that you can pinpoint more or less to when the pain started.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

See your doctor before continuing the same activity that caused the strain in the first place: After healing, it might be necessary to avoid it entirely if you don\u2019t want to hurt the same injury again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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6. Sports Injury<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Injuries are commonly seen through a variety of different sports; anywhere physical activity is involved, whether a contact sport by nature or not, leaves the risk and potential for physical injury \u2013 including a rib fracture where there might be any impacts sustained directly to the ribs or chest cavity. If you experience any pain, discomfort<\/a>, difficulty breathing or chest tightness, stop all forms of exercise and practice to see your doctor first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sports injuries are common, although they are also commonly ignored or misdiagnosed because people feel the need to \u201cpush through\u201d the pain they feel. During and after the healing process, speak to your doctor about what can be done to get back to an exercise routine \u2013 and always approach exercising after an injury with the help of a medical professional if you want to avoid any risk of further injury or re-injuring the same body part again later on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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7. Assault or Abuse<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Broken ribs are most commonly sustained during some type of blunt force trauma to the ribcage, and there are many ways in which this can happen \u2013 but one of the most obvious ways is through assault, where a punch or knock to the ribcage can increase your risk of fracturing a rib. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Assaults and abuse<\/a> can happen in a variety of ways ranging from long-term abuse in a bad relationship through to a mugging \u2013 but if you are currently in a situation where safety is a concern, getting away from the situation and towards medical attention is of the utmost importance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Doctors and emergency staff are also usually trained in how to spot fractures and injuries during consultations that happen due to injuries from abuse, and they are usually also trained to assist, or to refer to a social worker where they can\u2019t assist themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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8. Resuscitation<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Resuscitation <\/a>is common as an emergency response technique where the breathing or heart has stopped; because of the fact that it\u2019s considered a life-saving treatment, there\u2019s more of an emphasis on completing CPR than on not hurting the rest of the body \u2013 and rib fractures are considered very common in cases where CPR is performed. Due to the pressure placed on the ribcage, the ribs can easily snap \u2013 and yes, this usually means that CPR is being done properly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s an unavoidable consequence of performing the procedure, and in most cases people would refer to see damage to a rib happen rather than die from not getting CPR: Of course, it goes without saying that medical attention is needed for the broken rib as soon as possible, once the initial emergency has been adequately dealt with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

More care needs to be taken in the case of resuscitation when it comes to older people, small children or any other health conditions which affect the bone. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\r\n

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