# Broken ribs



## Skinner29er (Apr 12, 2009)

Hi everyone...Well it finally happened to me.
I broke ribs 9 and 10 yesterday.
Anyone have any tips for increasing heal time for ribs? I know there is not much to do other than rest, but is there diet, heat, cold or other means to speed up the process? 
There are e few sleepless nights ahead of me I'm afraid.........


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## DisrupTer911 (Jul 13, 2009)

you can wrap them tightly but you can't do much but let them heal on their own and don't do anything to possibly hurt yourself again. take it easy is really all you can do it.

and pain meds lol


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## AmongShadows (Jul 19, 2009)

I just broke my 10th rib last weekend...the worst part is I can't ride for 4 weeks...noooooooooooo


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## B-Mac (Oct 2, 2008)

I broke front 5th & 6th on my left side 3 weeks ago. Definitely the most painful experience of my life!! Took me several minutes to be able to breathe again after the wreck.

Take it easy, be a slug for a while & don't try to be too active too early. Vicodin is your friend.

I still have not been able to ride, considering a small xc loop this coming weekend.


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## Mumble (Jan 17, 2008)

Dont wrap them. Wrapping them will not let your lungs expand fully and puts you at higher risk for pneumonia. All it does is put constant pressure to ease the pain but doesn't speed up healing. Every couple hours take about 3-4 deep breaths. I recently cracked #9 and it's been 5 weeks and I am back to normal riding. (6-8 weeks is average healing time):thumbsup:


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## Rudster (Jun 25, 2008)

Try not to sneeze or cough, as the contraction kinda hurts....
Comedy Channel is not your friend......


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## Skinner29er (Apr 12, 2009)

You are right about the comedy channel...laughed hard last night...I think I set myself back a week!
Being a slug is the hardest part...I start to feel good then do something that reminds me this will take a while......
18 years of riding this is the first broken bone (If teeth are not a bone)


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## spec306 (Sep 30, 2007)

Yup.......DO NOT SNEEZE!!! or laugh, or cough. I remember seeing stars from sneezing. There is really nothing you can do except sit still. My only relief came in the form of heavy drugs -- Percocet and Percodin. I did, in addition to the ribs, also shatter my collarbone, rupture my AC and CC ligaments, and sprained my ankle thus the heavy drugs  The pain will start to settle down after 2 - 3 weeks.


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## redmr2_man (Jun 10, 2008)

2-3 weeks? is it that long for *bruised *ribs? I'm pretty sure mine aren't cracked, but I've bruised them before and this does feel more painful.

I'm supposed to goto downieville in 7 days!


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## Guest (Aug 11, 2009)

Broke at least three ribs about a month ago. Two were broken pretty bad; I could feel them grinding and popping every time I breathed. Pretty painful at first, hard to sleep without moving around. Coughing and sneezing _really_ hurt. Rode MBO two weeks after I broke them, it was a struggle to breathe. I'm finally getting over it after about a month.


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## nagatahawk (Jun 20, 2007)

Don't take Advil, if you must take Tylenol. Advil will interfere with the bones healing, Tylenol wont. 

Any way, I didn't break the ribs but i tore the connective tissue under and between the. I couldn't cough. laugh or set up. Pain meds were no help. then I caught a cold and started coughing. this probably prolonged the healing. becauses I aggrevate a previouse back injury, I had to stay the bike for 3 months. Its over and I'm riding again!


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## Spookykinkajou (Jan 9, 2004)

I broke 3 ribs last Sunday at the SM100. Hurts like h3ll still. I've been on percocet since the day after it happened, ran out of those this weekend, tried to go the day without them and suffered immensely because of it. And I thought I was getting better... So I'm back on the pain pills after a desperate plea for more.

I've hurt myself a bunch of times over the years and I have to say these ribs have really set me down. Worst pain ever.

I went for a road ride yesterday for about 1.5hours because I thought I was getting better. The pain pills obviously made me delusional. It was barely tolerable but constant pain.

did any of you break them by landing on your back? I landed right below my lat and all the way down the side to my hip. due to the impact my back mucles are all screwed up too, twitching and spasming and when I touch them they pop and click and are basically all knots.

any suggestions for that?? I've been thinking about trying to go to some rehab maybe with ultrasound or something...


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## Dream Plus (Feb 12, 2004)

Patience.

In January I drove a large rock into my side, about half way down. I thought my ribs were broken, but X rays were negative. By the next day my abdomen had swollen to where I couldn't button my pants. A few days later a bruise appeared at my waist, well below the impact site.

My muscles spasmed for a few weeks. I had to sleep in a chair for a week and a half. I could ride the trainer within a week. 4-6 weeks later I could barely feel the injury.

I thought I was healed, but fell off again a few weeks ago. A lot of the same pain returned, but I could sleep in a bed right away. Xrays again were negative. I think some of the supporting tissue damage can be worse than the breaking of the bones.

Donovan McNabb suffered a "cracked" rib Sunday and they are talking about the possibility of him playing next week!


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