Help, need some information on broken rib( Not me). 4th down from the top on the right side. I know that there is not much you can do for these, but is there anything that someone can do to help the healing process along? What is the normal healing time for something like this? Is there things that you can do and can’t do. I would assume that swimming would not be that good. What about running and cycling?
Thanks.
Bummer.
Best wishes for a speedy & full recovery.
FWIW - It took me at least six weeks for my broken back. I let pain be my guide in terms of what I could & could not do & for how long.
The first couple of weeks hurt like a mutha. I was riding a few days after just a bruised rib and every bump in the road was painful. Happened during the cold months so snot shots were pleasant - didn’t have enough force behind them to clear my face most of the time. Here’s snot in your eye!
I did not run for quite awhile afterwards. Hitting bumps on the bike was bad enough that I didn’t need to do that 180 times a minute with running. I can’t remember how long it took before I started running again, but I’d say at least 4 weeks, and again that was a bruise, not broken, rib. Cycling was the worst the first week, and thereafter it was mostly just big bumps or sneezes that really hurt. I did my riding on my road bike and stayed away from my TT setup during the time.
Dude…impeccable timing. My wife got kicked by a horse (a really really big one) on Saturday and she broke a few ribs too (not mention the innards that got wrecked). You two can have a race to see who heals faster…ready, set, GO!
I was in a bike accident back in February. I broke several ribs, one punctured my lung. I fractures a vertebra and had to have a chest tube put in to re-inflate my lung that collapsed. The pain can be quite intense but I was riding my bike on my in-door trainer just 4 days after getting out of the hospital. This was by far the easiest thing for me to do. It all depends on the pain threshold of your friend. Riding a stationary bike is the easiest though. I did Ironman AZ just 3 weeks after getting out of the hospital. Not a great idea but my type A OCD personality would not let me give it up.
water run, maybe?
sending wishes for speedy healing to the person whose ribs are broken.
I had either cracked or badly bruised ribs (I didn’t bother to go see a doctor since there is pretty much nothing that they can do for either condition and I didn’t have a rib protruding from my chest so I figured I’d end up ok) after catching my foot on a root and falling on a rock near the end of September. I ran a university 8k xc race 4 days later and it was hell. I could run at about 70% before I was breathing hard enough that it was intolerable so I was slow. I was able to run but there is no way that I could have done any swimming for about 5 weeks. I avoided biking outdoors since I didn’t want to try and control the bike or have to do any emergency moves on the bike in traffic so I did a few easy trainer rides. I ran a second xc race (I had already committed to running on an alumni team so I suffered through what were the slowest 2 running races for me since I was about 14 years old!) after 3 weeks and it still hurt a lot. I was able to run reasonably comfortably after 4-5 weeks. Sleeping was a real pain since I had to sleep on my back which usually doesn’t work well for me. My recommendation is to take it easy for at least a week or two with no exercise (completely opposite to what I did!) so that the healing gets started then gradually work in some easy runs until the expanding rib cage doesn’t hurt too much.
8 weeks is usually the time for the pain to completely resolve. I didn’t believe the surgeon, but I was wrong. My real limiter in the pool, however was the separated shoulder. Doug’s (actually Anthony Earvin’s) ‘sewing machine drill’ was the first thing I could do, and it was great. Works on rotation, prevention of crossover, vertical forearm–you name it.
the ribs definitely were effected by the run, but mine were lower–7-8. I couldn’t run without excessive pain for about 6 weeks. I did elliptical (in a running stance) and stepper (like running up a very steep hill) to cross train for running.
I drank lots of beer and ate pizza for 6 weeks whilst my rib healed, back two months ago - then I raced XTERRA Maui - rib was good by then, just paid for ‘training diet’ of beer and pizza and lack of training.
I still have twinges of pain and it has been 10 weeks, mainly when I lay on my back with hands above my head…
I broke my 3rd and 4th posterior ribs on the left side in late September along with my left collarbone and also had a collapsed lung. Had to have surgery for the collarbone (two displaced fractures), nothing but rest for the ribs. I started spinning again four weeks after the injuries and just got back in the pool three weeks ago. My doctor told me that normal healing time for the ribs was eight weeks, mine feel fine now but were pretty uncomfortable for the first week or so.
I’ll second docfuel’s recommendation of the sewing machine drill, it’s been a big help for me since getting back in the pool after my crash.
I popped a couple of lower ones on my left side a few years ago. They sill hurt and bug me today, sucks. When I say pop, I mean dislocated them from their connecting tissue, they just can float there now.
I actualy broke a rib even longer ago and that took about 6 months for me stop noticing it.
I had a “pleasure” of braking different ribs 3 times. Recovery time ranged from 6 to 8 weeks. I kept biking (commuting to work) every day with braken rib. It was okay, mostly painful when taking off and stopping. I usually took a week off from running, but later I was able to run overcoming pain. No swimming for at least 4 weeks and then starting very easy. Stationary bike and machines for legs should be okay, but I prefer training outdoor. I’m not sure if there is anything that could speed up the healing process except rest.
Ooooh be very careful. I did a run after a broken rib and the resulting pain was incredible. Not sure if it was from the deep breathing or the pounding from the running, but it sure made me back off and take things easy for a few weeks. Hope you heal quickly!
Crashed August 17 with multiple right side rib fractures. The meds controlled pain OK, but the biggest limiter to training was not being able to breath deeply. Did nothing but rest for 2 weeks, then on the indoor trainer untill 6 weeks, then back to road training. Understand it takes 8 weeks for ribs to heal, so going on the road before this is a risk as you don’t want to crash while the ribs are healing.
3 months out now and no pain or breathing problems, at least untill I broke my collarbone a week age, but that’s another story. The only time I still feel a little twinge of pain from the ribs is when pressing weights above my head. This is very minor though and I won’t be doing that anymore for a while. Damn collarbone.
Ric
My invaluable advice: Try not to get a cold, sneezing sucks. Run when somone starts to tell a joke, laughing sucks. That’s all I’ve got.
I am a physician (dont sue me if this doesnt work) For healing…xtra Calcium and Vitamin D. Avoid antiinflammatories such as Ibuporfen, etc. as they can slow healing. Use Tylenol only. It will take 6 weeks to heal but your activity will be as much as “tolerated” based on the pain. For swimming Total Immersion has some drills that dont involve upper extremity stroking, plus kicking only, may be possible i.e. balance drills, lead arm on side, etc. For bike, use indoor only so no bouncing and might be able to sit upright to be more comfortable. I agree with trying water running to see if it works. Good Luck
I’ve had broken ribs on a couple of occasions. Not much new to add. First 2-3 weeks suck. Sneezing, hiccups, coughing, etc can be freaking painful. 6-8 weeks to heal. Ability to train is dependant on pain tolerance more then anything. Swimming was very painful and took the longest to come back to. Cycing on the trainer wasn’t bad, and was back on the roads within a couple of weeks. Running at 4 weeks was uncomfortable, much better after 6 weeks.
As was posted, NSAID’s are believed to slow the fusing process. Use tylenol or prescription meds if needed.
scott
not to any one of you in particular but those who complained about the pain…my wife says to tell you all that you’re wimpy. She says the pain in her broken ribs is nothing compared to the pain from her fractured spleen. Given that both those, a lacerated kidney, and a perforated left lung all took place exactly one week ago and that she came home from the hospital today…with no drugs to take the edge off…I’d say she has a bit of right to her comment. That and the fact that she walked about a quarter mile under her own steam immediately after getting kicked by the biggest horse in the barn (with all that damage) certainly makes her a manly man in my books. I just don’t ever want to piss her off now…scared…very scared.
Don’t laugh.
Don’t sleep.
Don’t breathe.
I don’t know if I broke ribs during a pretty bad fall off my bike in June…but whatever I did to the left side of my ribcage took a good 3 months to heal. The first month of swimming was hell. Nothing really helped. You could try stopping breathing but that might be an issue. The ribcage is about the only muscle/bone group that never stops moving.
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