Hi, Thanks for writing in. The term rib injury usually means rib fracture - that is, a break in one or more of the ribs. Sometimes the ribs are not broken, but there is bruising of ribs or nearby muscles. Rib injuries occur when there is a force to the chest such as from a fall, road accident or assault. Usually, the diagnosis is made from the history (what you tell a doctor about what happened), plus a doctor s examination. Fractured ribs are painful, particularly with movement, deep breaths or coughing. The injured area is tender when pressed. Rib fractures may (but don t always) show on a chest X-ray. If a rib fracture is suspected, the main purpose of a chest X-ray is to look for complications rather than to diagnose the fracture itself. Therefore, if complications are not suspected and you are otherwise well then you may not need an X-ray. Hope this helps