Feels help: How do you know if you’ve broken a rib? - Help.com

I just found out on Wednesday that I fractured my 2 of my ribs. It happened on Friday when I was snowboarding and fell on my phone that was in my pocket. My symptoms were…it hurt to breath, cough, sneeze, lay down, get in and out of the car, it took everything out of me to sit up from a laying position. However, the only reason I went to the doctor is, I am a full time student and I was unable to sleep, I would wake up several times a night because of the pain. All the doctor did for me is give me vicodin for the pain and a wrap that goes around my rib cage to hold it in place. She also said it would take around 6 weeks to heal. Just to clear things up… In my opinion this is not the worst pain that I have felt before, but I did walk on a fractured tibia platue for 2 weeks sooooo who knows I might just be a tough girl.

Same here im in agony i cant bend down or turn around or nothing!

Ha! I fell, or rather, catapulted out of our hammock and onto the cement. Hurt so bad…my head and under my shoulder blade and right side ribs. Hubby took me to ER in town. No Xray, No MRI…the doc looked at me and sent me home! No pain killers! I am amazed by this and not impressed as it is 9 days later and my head is still sore and I can hardly take a deep breath because of the pain. Moving around certain ways gives me very sharp pain…enough to cry out. I am 60 years old…good health and in good physical shape, but I thought they should have checked me out better. I hurt.

i think i broke a rib. got tackeled into the corner of a couch. like previosly said it hurts like a bithc to tuch it. get up out of bed, flex that side, turn weird lay on it or on the other sid. pulls on it i guess. and to take a deep breath. only wile sitting. its on the bottom left side behind the arm. got a hug from this girl and thought i was going to collaps the pain was so bad.then got punched in at cried a little and laid on the ground for bout 5 minutes. i know they cant really do anything but what about a blood clot or something. could that happen?

I had a really bad cold with alot of intense coughing. Since it didn’t go away on the 3rd week I went to the doctor because I felt this horrible pain just on my right side. The doc explained to me I may have bruised my ribs due to the coughing & insisted I have my ribs x-rayed. I did & they were not broken but it still hurt like the devil on the right side. She said bruising will not show up on the x-rays & it may take up to 6 weeks to feel better. Rest is the best thing for bruised ribs.

I’m a 15 year old girl and yesterday I went tubing at my local lake. I fell off like I always do. But this time I landed on my ribs. It hurts to breathe, laugh, cry, lay down, move, and EXPECIALLY sit up. I have no Idea if its broken or cracked or just bruised. But it hurts like a mofo! Mom said there’s no way it could be broken JUST from tubing… But I think otherwise. -Kate

ive brocken a rib before an it feels soo painful, i brocken turning to fast in my sleep and rolled over on to a toy. yesterday i woke up and i started streaching i heard a big pop and it hurt i think u i broke the rib under my shoulder blade on the right

Ok, I fell on the icy cement over 2 weeks ago. I fell HARD. Most all the pain is gone with the exception of my right shoulder, chest and right upper arm. The upper arm just feels in pain all the time, like an ache and throb but it’s not bruised, nor swollen. Now at night, I really have a hard time sleeping because of the pain in my chest in front, and my shoulder. I’m breathing better now when sitting up, unless I just move a wrong way, then it’s like a grasp for air and hurts. It still hurts if I cough, hiccup or anything like that.

I do not have insurance. I am a very healthy person for the most part other than just getting older. I do have severe arthritis and am wondering if maybe as far as the upper arm pain, it just might be bone bruising and causing that pain.

Should I worry? It just hurts. At night I literally feel like crying and can not get comfortable.

Ok, I fell on the ice over 2 weeks ago and am still experiencing quite a bit of pain in my chest in front, close to my shoulder blade in back and in my arm on the affected side. I do pretty good breathing while sitting up unless I sneeze, cough, hiccup or laugh but at night, I literally won’t to cry it hurts so bad.

I have gone to the Dr, but no xrays were done as I have no insurance. I am on pain medication and a anti-inflammatory but I am still in pain.

Do I need to worry?

I fell on the trampoline while my nine yr old brother was still bouncing very high. When he was at his highest, he wasn’t looking and came straight towards me. I didn’t move because i thought he was trying to scare me into moving out of the way. The next thing I knew, he had landed on my chest, and a humongus amount of pain erupted from where he landed. Im not sure what I have done, but I have a strange suspition it is broken.

i got this horriable pain it hurts to touch defiantly hurts to cough have to lean on my side and hold my rib jut to ease some of the pain i been docs and they told me to just take paracetamol im taking paracetamol iburofen tablets and gel rub and codine the pain is still here and it hurts to get up especially when lying down and wakes me up but i havent banged it at all does any one no what it could be the doctor thinks its couse i have a cough

My x crashed while at training at bmx a few weeks ago and only recently is he in pain. There’s a little discoloring, a little swelling and if touch it hurts. When he takes deep breathes it hurts, laying down, sitting up, moving The wrong way, coughing, sneezing, hiccuping. Not sure if his fractured or broken.

I think i broke my ribs or something. i fell on the rail road tracks and slammed my ribs right on the metal rail. It hurt really bad they were bruised for like a week all the other pain is gone besides when i breathe or sleep on my ribs or cough it sends pain straight from my ribs up to my shoulders making my shoulder ache. i dont know what to do right now for them. i dont have medical or anything. Does this sound like they could be cracked or possibly broken?

I had fight with a bodyguard they surrounded me bit me with k47 guns I fells like they break my ribs it’s hurt badlly here’s is no law do know what shall I do.

I don’t know if I broke my rib, but I was snowboarding and fell flat on my stomach From stopping to hard. my ribs hurt with on and off pains but one’s much bigger than the other. I’m a little scared

Omg I did the same thing as you except I didn’t fall on my phone

four weeks after my left lower rib was punched by my husband. it still hurts. it hurts when i cough tale a deep breath, or when i have eaten a large meal. i have difficulty standing from bed in mornings.. there is no bruise but i can say that my left rib is different from my right rib because it looks thick. should i see a doctor asap?

I just broke my ribs for the 3rd time!!!! This past time, I don’t even know what I did!!!! I had a cold - I might have coughed too hard, or I lifted something that was pretty heavy the wrong way!!! This time it showed up as a fracture on the initial x-ray!! Even when I don’t know how I did it. The first two times, my fractures didn’t show up on an xray at all, even after major blunt trauma!!! I had to have an MRI to actually show I fractured my rib, And the SECOND time, I actually fractured a rib in THREE places!!!! So, don’t always believe an xray!!!!!! Ask for an MRI if you are in a ton of pain!!!