Bruised Ribs

Obadiah! · 09-18-2007, 06:41 AM

Last week playing soccer I took a shot to the ribs with an elbow. It hurt a bit at the time, but the pain got somewhat worse the next day and man it still hurts almost a week later. It's hard to lift with the pain and it seems to get aggrivated after lifting. Anyone have any idea how long this type of injury takes to heal? Is there any way to speed the healing or tape it up or something?

sytennison · 09-18-2007, 07:22 AM

I once took a kick to the ribs in tae kwon do that took me a couple of months to get over. Good thing I was wearing a chest protector!

Your healing time will vary depending on the nature of the injury. It could be a bruise, torn cartilage, cracked rib, etc. I think mine was a crack (never had it checked) which is why it took so damn long to heal.

Obadiah! · 09-18-2007, 08:26 AM

Well, that's not too encouraging!

tech141 · 09-18-2007, 08:33 AM

Oh, you want encouragement. Here's a gem from a coach (I'm sure most of us have been told this) I had years ago. And I quote (ahem):

"Rub some dirt on it and get back out there, YA WUSSY!"

Help any?

Seriously - If it is a SHARP pain, seek medical advice. If it is a dull pain, rest for 2 - 3 weeks and resume activities slowly. Don't stress it too much too quickly.

Disclaimer: I am NOT a doctor, but I did pass a doctors office on the way to work this morning.

sytennison · 09-18-2007, 08:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Obadiah!

Well, that's not too encouraging!

Only your doctor can tell for sure, but it doesn't sound like you have a cracked rib. My symptoms were:

hurt to inhale deeply
hurt to exhale fully
hurt to bend over, backward, or side to side.
hurt to lay down
hurt to cough, sneeze, or yell

If all you've got is a bruise, I'd give it a week or two.

Obadiah! · 09-18-2007, 08:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tech141

Oh, you want encouragement. Here's a gem from a coach (I'm sure most of us have been told this) I had years ago. And I quote (ahem):

"Rub some dirt on it and get back out there, YA WUSSY!"

Help any?

LOL!! Rub dirt on it, huh? I'll try that. I have another game this week and it kinda hurts to run, but I'm going to be out there, so I hope it works!

EricF14 · 09-18-2007, 01:38 PM

Allow 4 to 8 weeks for recovery. (<< joke on TV add delivery)

Seriously though, I had a similar thing happen last year but in my case it was a lawn mower hitting a root and kicking back into my ribs.
In my case I decided to see the doctor a few days later and fortunately it was only a bruise, not a fracture. The doctor said to take a month off from training.
For me It took about 3 weeks to recover well enough to lift my arm above sholder height with-out pain and about 6 weeks to lift heavy again. I may have aggrivated it by trying to continue Martial arts training with the injury.

Unfortunately during that time my wife got me an Xbox 360, for my birthday, which has been far worse for my exercise routine than any injury alone. But that's another story.

You may not be as easily distracted from your routine as I am but if you are you may want to keep up your routine using machines that isolate the muscles so that you're not stressing the injured area.

Captain Ahab · 09-18-2007, 04:33 PM

You can either rest them or tough it out, but just in case hold your ribs up to the monitor and let us all have a look.
I am sure that there are one or two MD?s onboard along with a couple of psychics that can predict how long it will take for your ribs to heal and what to do to speed the healing along.
I am sorry but with that question, I just couldn?t resist!

StartinOver-68 · 09-18-2007, 05:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sytennison

Only your doctor can tell for sure, but it doesn't sound like you have a cracked rib. My symptoms were:

hurt to inhale deeply
hurt to exhale fully
hurt to bend over, backward, or side to side.
hurt to lay down
hurt to cough, sneeze, or yell

If all you've got is a bruise, I'd give it a week or two.

Those symptoms sound like an old age smoker..... Thats why I quit.

Obadiah! · 09-18-2007, 08:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Captain Ahab

You can either rest them or tough it out, but just in case hold your ribs up to the monitor and let us all have a look.
I am sure that there are one or two MD?s onboard along with a couple of psychics that can predict how long it will take for your ribs to heal and what to do to speed the healing along.
I am sorry but with that question, I just couldn?t resist!

Does this help?

sytennison · 09-19-2007, 01:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Obadiah!

Does this help?

One wise-crack deserves another.

Obadiah! · 09-19-2007, 06:27 AM

Actually, I will say this, the input from this board/thread has been very helpful to me personally. The rib injury started to feel better and I had my work out and didn't feel too bad, but yesterday I did my stair climber cardio and for whatever reason, I am a hurtin' unit today. Kind of a mystery as to why, but there it is.

What was helpful to learn is that bruised ribs take more time to heal than I thought, and that the healing time is not necessarily related to my age. I also picked up that you can "play through" your pain without necessarily doing more damage, although the healing time may be elongated. So, all in all, while it may be a lame thread, it has been of value to me in the way that I had hoped it would.

mtxpert · 09-19-2007, 07:49 AM

I bruised my ribs a few years ago and ended up with pleurisy, the huge fix was 800mg of ibuprofen every 4-6 hours while I was recovering or it felt like someone was sticking a red hot poker into my lung and I couldn't breath. If you start feeling REALLY sharp pains in your ribs/lungs on that side, take 4 advil as that's all the emergency room did for me when I first got the pain 2 weeks after my injury!!! Thought I was going to die for SURE.