A broken rib, or fractured rib, is a common injury that occurs when one of the bones in your rib cage breaks or cracks. The most common cause of broken ribs is trauma to the chest, such as from a fall, motor vehicle accident or impact during contact sports.

Many broken ribs are merely cracked. While still painful, cracked ribs are not as potentially dangerous as ribs that have been broken. In these situations, a jagged piece of bone could damage major blood vessels or internal organs, such as the lungs. In most cases, broken ribs heal on their own in one or two months. Adequate pain control is important, so you can continue to breathe deeply and avoid lung complications, such as pneumonia.

Symptoms

1) Pain when you take a deep breath
2) Pain that gets worse when you press on the injured area, or when you bend or twist your body

Causes

1) Broken ribs can be caused by direct impact or repetitive trauma.
2) Direct impact
3) Motor vehicle accidents
4) Falls
5) Pysical Abuse
6) Contact sports
7) Repetitive trauma
8) Sports such as golf or rowing
9) Severe and prolonged coughing spells

Western Medicine Treatment

Most broken ribs heal on their own within six weeks.

Medications

It is important to obtain adequate pain relief because if it hurts too much to breathe deeply, you may develop pneumonia.

Over-the-counter drugs. Acetaminophen (Tylenol, others) and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, others) and naproxen (Aleve), may help relieve discomfort as you wait for the fracture to heal.

Other pain medications. If NSAIDs or acetaminophen don't work well enough, your doctor may prescribe stronger pain medications.

Nerve blocks. If the pain is severe, your doctor may suggest injections of long-lasting anesthesia around the nerves that supply the ribs.

Therapy

In the past, doctors would use compression wraps, elastic bandages that you can wrap around your chest, to help splint and immobilize the area. Compression wraps aren't recommended for broken ribs anymore because they can keep you from taking deep breaths, which can increase the risk of pneumonia.