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Suggest Treatment For Fractured Ribs
Question: Treating fractured ribs
Brief Answer:
pain control, rest from activities, heals usually in 6 weeks
Detailed Answer:
HI, thanks for using healthcare magic
The main treatment consists of pain control , rest from activities. In some cases hospital observation may need for a short period of time.
Treating rib fractures: (1)pain control is very important to prevent chest wall splinting (reduced chest expansion with breathing)
Using an anti inflammatory pain killer, if there is no problem with these meds, would be helpful eg naproxen , cataflam, ibuprofen.
If these are not helpful for pain then stronger meds such as narcotics- oxycodone, hydrocodone, may be needed
(2)if 3 or more ribs are fractured then hospitalization, to look for other injuries, may be needed
(3)if there is only rib fractures and no other injury and the person cannot cough or clear secretions from the throat/chest, then the person may still need to admitted for a day to be observed
(4)most fractures heal within 6 weeks with conservative treatment only- pain relief and rest
Heavy labor and intensive training is not recommended for at least 3 weeks. When there is no longer any pain at rest (when doing nothing), then activity can be increased gradually
I hope this helps, feel free to ask any other questions
pain control, rest from activities, heals usually in 6 weeks
Detailed Answer:
HI, thanks for using healthcare magic
The main treatment consists of pain control , rest from activities. In some cases hospital observation may need for a short period of time.
Treating rib fractures: (1)pain control is very important to prevent chest wall splinting (reduced chest expansion with breathing)
Using an anti inflammatory pain killer, if there is no problem with these meds, would be helpful eg naproxen , cataflam, ibuprofen.
If these are not helpful for pain then stronger meds such as narcotics- oxycodone, hydrocodone, may be needed
(2)if 3 or more ribs are fractured then hospitalization, to look for other injuries, may be needed
(3)if there is only rib fractures and no other injury and the person cannot cough or clear secretions from the throat/chest, then the person may still need to admitted for a day to be observed
(4)most fractures heal within 6 weeks with conservative treatment only- pain relief and rest
Heavy labor and intensive training is not recommended for at least 3 weeks. When there is no longer any pain at rest (when doing nothing), then activity can be increased gradually
I hope this helps, feel free to ask any other questions
Note: For further queries, consult a joint and bone specialist, an Orthopaedic surgeon. Book a Call now.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
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