What can i do for Cracked Ribs?

Question

i have 6 cracked Ribs. I went to the ER and the Dr.they made an e-ray and told me that they heal on there on and to take a pain reliever. (that is all he told me) The Dr. wasnt really that helpfull and i am only 15

1) I was wondering how long it would take to heal?

2) Is it okay to put ice or heat on them?

3) When can i play sports again?

4) what exactally can i do to make them feel better?

thank you in advance and if you are wonder how i did that i flip a 4-wheeler on top of me.

thank you in again

and sorry for the spelling!!

Answer 1

We used to tape ribs before but they found that the tape really juyst makes it harder for people to breath. The only time we do anything for broken ribs these days is if there is a risk that they are so broken they would move and lacerate a lung.

Your ribs will hurt for quite awhile. Remember that breaks take from 4-8 weeks to heal and that it hurts when the breaken parts move. That said, you need to make yourself take deep breaths and cough frquently no matter if it hurts because you need to keep your lungs wide open and clear. Remember I said tape made it hard to breath? If you don't take deep breaths and cough you can set yourself up for a possible pneumonia.

Ice is good at first but you should probably be thinking about heat at this point. Remember that if you use heat or cold, neither should be left on for more than 20-30 minutes.

As for sports... let pain be your guide. If it hurts too much, don't do it.Forcing yourself to do to more than you should won't make your bones heal any faster.  

Answer 2

I cracked three back in '91, in a motorcycle accident. All they did was put my arm in a sling, but I think that was because I shattered the socket in my left shoulder. They just gave me a ton of meds to ease the pain.

Lessee...17 years ago...yup, I still fell it sometimes.