Cracked Rib Symptoms
What You May Want to Know about Cracked Rib Symptoms
Have you ever suffered from cracked rib symptoms? These symptoms can develop when you are hit too hard in the ribs or the abdomen area. This happens because the ribs will push against the muscle wall that surrounds them. Cracked ribs may be diagnosed by a doctor after an x-ray but. This article will explore those things in more detail and explain more information about injured ribs.
If you are involved in a situation in which your ribs are forced out of their normal position it will injure the muscles in this area. It can also cause damage to the organs under your rib cage. Because of this, your ribs can be cracked by a number of things. You may have suffered from a trauma such as abuse or an injury during an accident or while playing a sport. This is important to know if you begin to have trouble breathing or feel pain in the abdomen area.
If you have a rib injury, you may experience several different things. You may have pain when you try to breath, laugh, or cough. It may also appear to be very tender in this area. If these symptoms are experienced your physician may want you to have a chest x-ray. The x-ray will show a cracked rib because a bruise can not be diagnosed. It will also rule out any other complications such simple bruised rib. Treatment for a broken rib is going to be different than treatment for a bruised rib. Actually, a broken or cracked rib may need to be reset by your doctor.
The first thing you need to do when treating a cracked rib is to consider your level of pain, your personal situation and your ability to move. Sometimes, you may not be able to stop doing certain activities. If you must continue with normal activities you should wear a protective pad. This is usually made out of a very strong plastic and it will have a soft material under it. This should be wrapped around the rib area and strapped over the shoulders in order to help decrease movement.
You may be able to eventually move towards doing exercises that will strengthen this area and the muscles that are sore. You will want to let your doctor tell you if and when you can do this. When doing these exercises you should never push yourself too far. This will only cause more pain and it could actually make things worse by continuing to damage the muscles. You should only complete the stretches to a position that is comfortable for you. Make sure that you always get checked by a physician in order to determine the severity of your injury. They can also help you determine what is going to be the best treatment option for you.
Remember, that if you are experiencing cracked rib symptoms you are most likely going to be in pain. However, you can always purchase an over the counter pain medication like aspirin to help with the pain. You should then take the medication as it is prescribed on the bottle. Never take more that what you should without speaking to your physician. You will want to keep your arm over the cracked area. This can keep others from touching the sensitive area. You will also want to avoid physical activity for a few days to rest the area and give it time to heal. Talk to your doctor about applying ice to the area to help decrease swelling and help with the pain.