Is it possible to break ribs by coughing

People should avoid activities that involve pulling, pushing, or lifting, as they might make the pain worse or cause more damage to the ribs. If a person has more than one fractured rib, severe damage, or flail chest, they may need surgery.

During the operation, a surgeon will use plates and screws to fasten the broken ribs together. Doctors previously thought that the pain and other symptoms of broken ribs lasted no more than 6—8 weeks , but research suggests that many people experience pain for longer than this.

People with simple rib fractures can usually recover at home. In more serious cases, the person may need to stay in the hospital. During the healing process, clinicians usually recommend pain medications. These may include drugs such as acetaminophen or a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug such as ibuprofen. People with severe pain may need to take prescription pain medications such as opioids.

Alternately, a doctor may recommend an intercostal nerve block, which is an injection. Ice may decrease swelling and pain and help prevent tissue damage. People should cover an ice pack or bag of crushed ice with a towel before placing it on the injured area. Sometimes, rib fractures can lead to lung infections.

A doctor may recommend trying deep breathing exercises to help prevent this. These might involve taking a deep breath and holding it for as long as possible, before letting out the air and coughing strongly.

If it hurts, the person can try supporting the rib area with their hands, a towel, or pillow while performing the exercise. No one with a broken rib should attempt to take part in contact sports for at least 6 weeks, or for as long as their doctor recommends. A simple fracture will heal by itself with rest. It may take up to several weeks for the pain to fully subside.

More severe cases, however, can lead to serious health conditions. These will usually need hospital treatment and may require an operation. Slipping rib syndrome is a condition where the ribs slip away from their usual position. Learn about the symptoms and when to see a doctor. The right upper quadrant of the abdomen includes the pancreas, right kidney, gallbladder, liver, and intestines. Check if you have a bruised or broken rib Broken or bruised ribs are usually caused by a fall, a blow to the chest or severe coughing.

Symptoms include: strong pain in your chest area, particularly when you breathe in swelling or tenderness around the affected ribs sometimes bruising on the skin feeling or hearing a crack if it's a broken rib Ribs cannot be easily splinted or supported like other bones, so they're usually left to heal naturally.

There's often no need for an X-ray. Things you can do yourself Broken or bruised ribs heal in the same way and usually get better by themselves within 3 to 6 weeks. There are some things you can do to help ease pain and speed up healing: Do take painkillers, such as paracetamol or ibuprofen — avoid taking ibuprofen for 48 hours after your injury as it may slow down healing hold an ice pack or a bag of frozen peas in a tea towel to the affected ribs regularly in the first few days to bring down swelling rest and take time off work if you need to breathe normally and cough when you need to — this helps clear mucus from your lungs to prevent chest infections if you need to cough, hold a pillow against your chest walk around and sometimes move your shoulders to help you breathe and clear mucus from your lungs take 10 slow, deep breaths every hour to help clear your lungs try to sleep more upright for the first few nights.

Urgent advice: Get advice from now if:. Metrics details. Coughing is considered an important mechanism that helps the body get rid of foreign substances or prevent their entry into the tracheobronchial tree.

Infrequently, after the onset of coughing, patients presenting with persistent chest pain are found to have rib fractures. Among the cases reported for cough-induced rib fractures, the maximum number of fractured ribs was found to be four.

In this report, we present a case of a healthy year-old Lebanese smoker who developed a total of six fractures in five ribs, asymmetrically, after coughing for 2.

This case report is, to our knowledge, the first to describe six cough-induced rib fractures in a smoker without an underlying predisposition. Peer Review reports. Coughing is considered an important mechanism that helps rid the body of foreign substances or prevent their entry into the tracheobronchial tree [ 1 ]. Coughing is often self-limited and uncomplicated.

However, when severe, it can be associated with pneumothorax, pulmonary herniation, or rib fractures [ 2 ]. Chest computed tomographic scan shows fractures of fifth, sixth, seventh, and ninth left ribs and the anterior bow of the fifth right rib red arrow.

Bone scintigraphy showing multiple foci of bone hyperfixation at the anterior arch of the ninth left side; average arches of the fifth, sixth, and seventh straight ribs aligned foci ; and the anterior bow of the fifth right rib double fracture. Most commonly, rib fractures are caused by a thoracic injury. Infrequently, after the onset of coughing, patients presenting with persistent chest pain are found to have rib fractures [ 3 ]. Previous studies showed that cough-induced rib fractures occurred most frequently on the lateral side of the fifth through ninth ribs [ 1 ], with the sixth rib being the most common site [ 4 ].

Among the cases reported for cough-induced rib fractures, the maximum number of fractured ribs was found to be four [ 3 ]. In this report, we present a case of an otherwise healthy year-old patient who developed a total of six fractures in five ribs, asymmetrically, after coughing for 2. The uniqueness of this report is its description of the oddly large number of rib fractures involved in a healthy smoker with no relevant history of diseases.

This case report may prompt attention to the importance of addressing the issue of cough-induced rib fracture and of dealing with chronic cough to avoid such complications. A year-old Lebanese man presented to our hospital for ongoing chest pain of 2. With regard to his social and professional history, the patient is a wealthy businessman who works in Saudi Arabia. He does not consume alcohol at all. He does not take any drug for any chronic or acute disease.

He has no history of cancer or similar condition in his family. His physical examination revealed no remarkable findings except for tenderness upon palpation of the chest, mainly in the midaxillary line. No crackle, wheeze, or barrel chest was present. His body temperature was normal at A complete blood count and a metabolic panel were ordered to rule out any anemia or plasma cell dyscrasia, and the results of these were normal.

Blood tests ordered and performed were the following: prostate-specific antigen, thyroid function test thyroid-stimulating hormone, T3, and T4 , carcinoembryonic antigen, parathyroid hormone, liver function tests, and serum creatinine.

His blood tests showed no abnormal findings except for a low vitamin D level. In addition, his erythrocyte sedimentation rate and C-reactive protein were found to be elevated Table 1.

Additional workup was needed. Abdominopelvic, neck, and chest computed tomographic CT scans Fig. His lung parenchyma and bronchial wall thickness were normal. Following the CT scans, an x-ray showed fractures of the lateral right sides of the sixth and seventh ribs.

Because the patient was a smoker, a bone scintigraphy scan Fig. Several foci of bone hyperfixation were identified by scintigraphy. The findings were distributed as follows: 1 anterior arch of the ninth left rib; 2 anterior arches of the fifth, sixth, and seventh right ribs creating aligned foci; and 3 double fractures in the anterior bow of the fifth right rib.

Other bone abnormalities were insignificant at this stage. No pulmonary function tests were done, because the patient did not show any signs of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Finally, his osteodensitometry results were normal. The patient was managed with antitussives and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, with which he slowly improved.