Bruised ribs recovery. Any tips?

[Dos_Box]

The long and short of it is that I cam off my bike last week quite badly.

Two cyclists coming the other way on a cyclepath side-by-side forced me into the side of the path where there was mud and I lost it. Took a couple of inches of skin off my right knee and baged my right elbow badly. I also got a handlebar to the ribs*

I thought I'd possibly broken one or two, but from my symptoms it does now look like I have just bruised them.

Sleeping is very hard as I have to sleep on my back (not my preferred position) and any movement is very painful. I've found myself sleeping until late morning due to disrupted sleep. I'm usually an early starter too!

I can't even walk and talk. In fact, talking is quite difficult as I can't take rapid breaths due to the pain.

 

I have plenty of painkillers, but they don't really seem to do very much, so I need to ask the combined minds of EduGeek of any tips you might have to see me through until the pain subsides. I know this is going to be at least a couple of weeks yet, but any advice is very welcome.

 

*The bike is fine BTW!

[sigma]

I cracked some ribs when I came off my skis. some years ago. If I needed to cough, the physio taught me to place my hand over the affected area and then to brace the same arm against a wall to keep the ribs still, which did seem to help.

[Dos_Box]

I cracked some ribs when I came off my skis. some years ago. If I needed to cough, the physio taught me to place my hand over the affected area and then to brace the same arm against a wall to keep the ribs still, which did seem to help.

 

Very helpful, thank you

Coughing and sneezing are very painful. As it is, currenty I can't walk and talk as you tend to draw in shaper breaths when talking, which isn't vey pleasant at all atm.

[Andrew_C]

Not sure if it is officially advised, but when I broke one, strapping it helped. Ordinary crepe slightly elastic bandage.

 

Took a while, but seemed to stop needing to all of a sudden.

[andy_b]

Not sure if it is officially advised, but when I broke one, strapping it helped. Ordinary crepe slightly elastic bandage.

 

Took a while, but seemed to stop needing to all of a sudden.

 

Against current medical advise to strap ribs.

 

Will cause you to shallow breathe and increase risk of infection.

[Dos_Box]

Against current medical advise to strap ribs.

 

Will cause you to shallow breathe and increase risk of infection.

 

Yep, I'd read this too. I can't walk and talk as it is, so strapping it up isn't really an option.

I had a motorcycle accident many (many) years ago and broke lots of toes and fingers on my right hand side. They couldn't strap the toes as they can't set properly. Several weeks walking around on broken toes was pure hell!

I'd also bent my thumb right back. Resetting that was an experience, I can tell you!

[mikeprice]

Have you had an x-ray to check for breaks??

 

does sound quite bad

 

At least you didn;t break your arm - which I did a few months ago - by putting your arm down to save yourself

 

 

anyway - get better soon

[jmak]

Probably not what's on your mind, but don't rush your recovery.

 

A colleague broke some ribs last summer and picked up a box when they'd almost healed and it was then several more months before they could get on a bone again.

 

From my memory of broken ribs, I'd say avoid coughing, sneezing, laughing and if at all possible try not to breathe. If you can avoid those, the pain isn't too bad.

 

But I do remember them improving quite quickly so that I wasn't in pain all the time.

[HPlum78]

I have broke, ripped and pulled almost everything in my body! (Arm alone 47 times including once when they counted over 100 fractures) but I will say this when I did a couple of ribs it was horrible and just as I started to feel normal I slipped down the stairs and put one through my lung (that was fun...).

 

Take it easy and be careful, if you can sleep in a chair rather than laying down and if it is on one side use a sling to take the weight of the arm on the same side.

 

Hope you get better soon. H.

[Dos_Box]

Have you had an x-ray to check for breaks??

 

does sound quite bad

 

At least you didn;t break your arm - which I did a few months ago - by putting your arm down to save yourself

 

 

anyway - get better soon

 

From what I can gather, you really know when thay are broken as apparently you can 'feel' it.

I have a lot of hurt, but nothing that is similar to descriptions of others who have broken ribs before. I don't even have brusing on the outside, which is kinda annoying as I like to have proof of the hurty

[Dos_Box]

I have broke, ripped and pulled almost everything in my body! (Arm alone 47 times including once when they counted over 100 fractures) but I will say this when I did a couple of ribs it was horrible and just as I started to feel normal I slipped down the stairs and put one through my lung (that was fun...).

 

Take it easy and be careful, if you can sleep in a chair rather than laying down and if it is on one side use a sling to take the weight of the arm on the same side.

 

Hope you get better soon. H.

 

Funny you should mention that. My recliner provides me with the perfect position and I have had quite a few good sleeps in there, but have to take myself off to my bed at some point!

[southhamster]

When I did my back in a few years ago I found one of those litter picker grab things really useful to save bending over.

I don't know it would be with your ribs but might be worth a try?

[Dos_Box]

When I did my back in a few years ago I found one of those litter picker grab things really useful to save bending over.

I don't know it would be with your ribs but might be worth a try?

 

Yeah, bending down is a pain (no pun intended) and I've been meaning to buy one of those for some time!

[HarryMonkey]

They are really useful regardless of pain/mobility issues, saves reaching up to close/open the top window and we don't have to get the fridge freezer out to retrieve a dropped knife/fork/spoon/pound coin. Every household should have at least one.

[foofighterjim]

I had a really bad cough over the winter that bruised my ribs internally, took me 8 weeks before I could walk properly again. The advice I had (and the only things that worked) were rest (as much as you can get, the les movement the better), an anti-inflammatory on the affected area and paracetamol if the pain is too bad at any given time.

[Dos_Box]

I had a really bad cough over the winter that bruised my ribs internally, took me 8 weeks before I could walk properly again. The advice I had (and the only things that worked) were rest (as much as you can get, the les movement the better), an anti-inflammatory on the affected area and paracetamol if the pain is too bad at any given time.

 

Yeah, I've pretty much put myself into low power mode, which I hate!

Thankfully I get large packs of Co-Codamol on prescription for my arthritis, but I don't usually take any unless it's really bad.

They have been a godsend for this though, but do make me woozy at times.

I am on the mend now though and feeling much better this past few days (After my girlfriend made me stop 'doing jobs').

I've been tempted to post up a pic of my knee after the incident but decided not to as it's lunchtime!