Quite often, chest injuries lead to broken ribs. A certain danger is the proximity of the location to the internal organs. Nearby are the lungs, stomach and heart. In some cases, they are damaged by bone plates, which leads to serious consequences. However, in normal situations, such injuries heal without any difficulty.
Anatomical data
The chest is made up of twelve vertebrae, which are connected by the same number of ribs. The chest is in front. It is to it that the cartilaginous parts of the bone plates adjoin, having in the anatomical structure a neck, a tubercle, a body and a head. When a rib is fractured, the neurovascular bundle located in a special groove is often damaged, which leads to bleeding and an imbalance in the nutrition of internal muscles.
Possible causes
The elderly are particularly prone to rib fractures, as with age the elasticity of the chest deteriorates significantly, bonesbecome more fragile. However, such damage does not always depend on gender or number of years. The main reasons may be different:
- Strike directly to the chest upon impact with a hard surface. This can happen in a collision or fall.
- Falling heavy objects on the chest. This happens when poorly fixed shelves, lighting elements or sports equipment fall.
- Strong compression of the chest from several sides at once also leads to a violation of the integrity of the ribs.
Most often, injuries occur as a result of car accidents, as well as in the process of household and industrial activities. The strength of the perfect impact is evidenced by the number of broken plates. Breaks of two ribs are not severe, as in most cases they do not lead to damage to internal organs.
Mechanisms of resulting damage
With a direct impact, the ribs are fractured directly in the place where they fell. The number of damaged plates will depend on the dimensions of the object that caused the injury. When squeezing the chest, multiple fractures most often occur. Compression injuries have a certain localization. It depends on the direction of compression:
- If the pressure is on the front and back at the same time, then damage to the bone plates occurs in the axillary line.
- When you press hard on the sides, a break occurs in the front or backparts.
Applying excessive force to a particular area of the bone can lead to more serious consequences. In this case, the fracture can be in two places at the same time. The section of the plate lies freely inside. With this option, there is a risk of the debris being pressed directly into the chest cavity.
Classification of injuries received
Before starting treatment for a rib fracture, the doctor determines the nature of the injury. Bone plate injuries can be classified in certain ways.
| Classification method | Features |
| Degree of injury |
The following categories stand out:
|
| For damage to the skin |
Classified as follows:
|
| According to location |
May be damaged
|
|
By the presence of displacement of fragments |
Sometimes:
|
| By number of damaged seats |
Highlight:
|
How is the clinical picture expressed?
Distinguish general and local symptoms of rib fractures. The first of these manifest in exactly the same way as many chest injuries. There is pain directly at the site of injury. It can be quite sharp and intense. Edema often increases and hematomas appear at the site of the blow. Breathing is difficult, chest movements can be significantly limited. Some of them may even lag behind when breathing.
There is a characteristic sign of a broken rib in two places. This is paradoxical breathing. Due to the movement of the debris inside, the body is not provided with the right amount of oxygen. Respiratory failure appears.
Specific symptoms will depend on which bone is broken. The first rib is located directly under the collarbone, so it is usually damaged along with it. In this situation, the movement of the hand is significantly hampered. When inhaling and exhaling, quite strong pain is felt.
Injuries to the ribs located in the central part are the most dangerous, since large vessels, lungs and heart muscle are located next to them. The condition can be life-threatening. Less dangerous are injuries to the last bone plates. Symptoms in this case are not very pronounced.
Possible Complications
Before treating a broken rib, you need to make sure that the internal organs and blood vessels are not damaged. Sometimes they can be touched by bonedebris. In complicated situations, dangerous conditions often develop.
- Pneumothorax develops when a piece of bone enters the lung. It is most often caused by a fracture of the eighth rib. Air begins to accumulate in the pleural space.
- Hemothorax occurs as a result of damage to blood vessels. In most cases, this is caused by damage to the sixth rib. Blood accumulates in the pleural cavity. The victim has symptoms of acute blood loss.
- Pneumonia can develop due to low motor activity of the lungs and existing damage. The respiratory organs often become inflamed after injury.
Diagnostic techniques
Before you treat a broken rib, you need to be guided not only by the symptoms. A thorough examination of the victim should be made and one of several diagnostic options should be assigned:
- X-ray allows you to determine the location of the fracture. The procedure makes it possible to obtain a picture of the entire chest or each rib separately. The image can be made based on X-rays passing through various tissues.
- Computed tomography is prescribed to detect possible damage to internal organs and blood structures. The examination uses sophisticated high-precision software and hardware equipment, which has ultra-sensitive detectors.
- Ultrasound is also used for diagnostic purposes. This is an ultrasounddamage.
As for techniques without the use of special equipment, the most effective of them is the variant with an inclination in the opposite direction from the injured rib. If there is a fracture, there will be quite a lot of pain.
First aid
In case of violation of the integrity of the chest bone plate, assistance is provided directly at the scene. Special medical knowledge and skills in this situation is not required. The victim must be laid on a firm and even plane, after which the upper body should be freed from clothing.
If there is bleeding, you should try to stop it with the help of improvised means. In any case, you need to call an ambulance. For an open fracture, a dry and clean dressing may be applied to the site of the skin injury.
Treatment process
Ambulance specialists administer anesthesia so that the victim can breathe fully, and take the person to the hospital if there are certain indications:
- a lot of damage;
- presence of respiratory failure;
- trauma occurred as a result of a pathological process;
- location location is at the base of the spine.
Treatment of rib fractures at home is allowed after examination and X-ray if the damage affects the last three ribs. As for the stationary regime, it provides for several stages:
- Compliance with bed rest during the first days allows the formation of callus.
- Pain relief makes it possible to breathe comfortably. This is a preventive measure against the occurrence of pneumonia and other complications. Patients are given intercostal novocaine blockades.
- Creating the immobility of the bone plates is ensured by the imposition of a bandage.
- In some cases, traction is performed. This is usually done for injuries to the seventh rib.
Doctors know best what to do with broken ribs, so inpatient or outpatient treatment should not be abandoned. Usually patients are prescribed physiotherapy from the first days. Often used exposure to a magnetic field, electrophoresis, UVI.
After the formation of callus, therapeutic exercises can be prescribed. First, it is suggested to perform light exercises. However, the load gradually increases. A special massage helps in healing the injury. However, it can be done only one and a half weeks after the injury. To strengthen the bone tissue, preparations with calcium and vitamins are introduced. They are usually used within a month.
How to sleep with a broken rib?
In the first days, the victim is recommended to strictly bed rest. During this period, pronounced pain symptoms are especially difficult. How to sleep in the treatment of a fractured rib, not everyone fully understands. However, much depends on where the damage is localized:
- If the pain is felt in the front of the chest, then sleeppreferably on the back.
- When localizing injuries on the side, it is recommended to lie on a he althy side.
Basic stages of healing
The healing process can be divided into three stages.
- Corn formation from connective tissue. A large amount of blood accumulates in the damaged area, so cells that produce fibroblasts move there.
- Formation of osteoid callus. Over time, the body accumulates inorganic substances.
- The strength of the corn increases. It ceases to be loose and reaches normal size.
In an adult, bones fuse within 4-5 weeks. In the presence of multiple fractures, this time increases. In children, bone tissue fuses much faster. This usually takes about 3 weeks. Only a doctor can give an exact answer, guided by the available data.
Folk remedies to speed up healing
It takes quite a lot of time to recover from the treatment of broken ribs. Symptoms become less pronounced after 1-2 weeks. It is after this that you can use folk remedies to speed up the healing process. They must be combined with traditional therapy.
One effective option is to use spruce tar and copper sulfate ointment. It allows you to accelerate the restoration of bone tissue. For cooking take:
- spruce resin - 20g;
- copper sulfate - 15 g;
- onion - 1 pc.;
- Olive Oil – 50g
The main ingredients are mixed in the indicated proportions. After that, the resulting mixture is diluted with olive oil and heated over a fire. It is not worth bringing the product to a boil.
A vitamin blend of raisins, dried apricots, lemons, walnuts and honey helps improve healing. After preparation, the remedy is taken orally three times a day for a teaspoon. It is best to do this after a meal. Raisins and dried apricots are placed in boiled water and soaked. Lemons are simply squeezed, the pits are thrown away. The resulting mass is passed through a meat grinder, after which it is mixed with honey.
Inside you can take eggshell, ground into powder. It is used as a supplement with any food in small amounts. Eggshell is a natural source of calcium that is readily available.
To accelerate bone healing, it is recommended to consume more foods containing silicon, as it is actively involved in the healing process. It is found in radishes, cauliflower, turnips, nettles and currants. You can also take decoctions of lungwort, yarrow or coltsfoot. As for foods high in calcium, they are also necessary. It is advisable to consume milk, fish, cottage cheese, hazelnuts, green beans and sesame.
As a conclusion
Before sleeping with a broken rib, pain symptoms should be relieved with appropriate analgesics. They allow you to ensure normal breathing, so oxygen deficiencycan be avoided. In addition, sleep in the presence of constant pain will not be of high quality, which means that the healing process will not occur normally. Regular lack of sleep can lead to exhaustion of the body and reduce its recovery capabilities.
