Cracked rib pain relief

Cracking a rib can cause one of the most uncomfortable pains a person can experience in his or her life. A person who cracks a rib needs to rest and let the rib heal on its own. Since ribs heal on their own, there are not that many options for people who suffer from their cracks. Everybody knows that rib cage protects the vital organs located in the abdomen like heart and lungs. However, a rib cage is not as strong as some might think. There are 12 pairs of ribs in a normal rib cage. Every rib is connected to the spinal column at one end. On the other end, seven rib pairs are connected to the breast bone. These 14 ribs are also known as true ribs. The remaining 5 pairs either hang free or are connected to these true ribs.

Cracked rib pain

There are more causes of a fractured rib apart from an accidental impact. It is not uncommon for people to crack a rib when they cough severely because of pneumonia or whooping cough. The most common symptom of cracked or bruised ribs is pain when a person tries to inhale or breathe deeply. In some cases, shortness of breath is present as well and sometimes that can prevent a person from making specific movements with ease. The type and severity of injury will determine the amount of pain a person will experience. In cases of severe pain, an X-ray is usually done.

Cracked rib treatment

In most cases when people go to the hospital complaining about rib cage pain, the doctors will prescribe them with certain pain killers and these medications will lessen the pain they are experiencing. Apart from using these medications, a person can relieve the pain by taping the ribs. A person can do that with some strips of cloth or wraps that mostly athletes use. A person should wrap the cloth around his or her chest, over and above the cracked rib, and take as deep a breath as he or she can before tying the knot. The same process should be performed on the rib that is just under the cracked rib. Even though this is a good method to relieve pain, a lot of experts do not agree that it should be done because it can cause an infection. The main reason lies in the fact that a person needs to breathe normally in order for the fluids to move to the lungs. Pneumonia may occur in such cases. In some cases, people with cracked ribs need immediate surgery.