Broken ribs care and recovery

One of the most painful and uncomfortable injuries in the world is the agony of suffering from broken ribs. It is better to understand why this is the case. The ribs are the protective covering that keeps the lungs safe in the cavity they form naturally. But once you have broken or bruised your ribs, the lungs will not stop performing their natural function, which is that of breathing. Each time you inhale and exhale, your lungs brush against the rib cage. If your ribs are already injured, this will only aggravate the pain you may be experiencing to unnatural degrees. While the simple act of breathing will not cause any further damage to the lungs, it will merely make you feel the pain more severely. Keep in mind that the searing agony felt by broken ribs will probably last for a couple of days, because this is the amount of time that the worst of injury will take to start healing. After this amount of time, the pain will become a dull ache, which may very well persist for a few days. The most important thing to keep in mind if you are suffering from bruised or broken ribs is that you should avoid any sudden movement such as laughing suddenly or gasping. While the pain may make this challenging, you simply have to keep trying to be as quiet and sedentary as possible.

One of the best things to do for broken or bruised ribs is to apply hot packs over them. This helps more if you do not have any accompanying external injuries as well. If you do, you should apply ice packs. This will also help with getting relief from the pain of the external injury. Hot packs can actually make a wound fester and can also encourage infections, so you should totally skip that step. You can also gently apply a generous coating of warm mustard oil to your injured area. This product is known to be particularly helpful when it penetrates the skin. It is extremely useful in dealing with pain as well as internal swelling. Of course, needless to say that the best thing you can do for your injuries is to rest as much and as completely as you can. Try to move only if absolutely necessary. While some recommend a few simple exercises, this is avoidable till you have begun to tolerate the pain, which is a sign of healing.

answered by G M

Broken ribs leave you with the worst kind of pain imaginable. What makes it specially bad is the fact that every time you breathe, it hurts. And there is nothing you can do to stop this. Unfortunately, there is no magical cure that will completely get rid of the pain that comes with broken ribs either. What you can do is gather all possible knowledge about it and then follow the path you think is right. The first thing to know is that typically, broken ribs take about a month or even two to heal completely. In this duration, you will experience pain in your rib cage area which ranges from mild to excruciating. This pain can occur when you take a deep breath, cough hard, bend, twist your body in any way, or make a sudden movement or jerk.

While over the counter medication can provide relief temporarily from the pain, there is no physical measure you can take to control this pain. As a matter of fact, doctors also usually do not recommend braces or splints which will keep from moving the rib cage. This is because these are counter productive - there are greater chances that they will worsen the pain when you take them off. This is the reason they are not worth trying. The best thing you can do for this pain is to lie down and rest as much as you can. This will also give your bones ample time to heal properly and well. Aloe vera juice is another very good healing agent. If you can drink aloe juice, which is quite easily available, it will help to heal your from within. Drinking a glass of warm milk at night to which a teaspoon of turmeric powder has been added will also contribute in the same way.

answered by G R