Rib contusion is a mechanical damage to a given bone, in which its structure remains intact; is the most common and mild of chest injuries. It may be accompanied by fractures of the limbs, subcutaneous hemorrhages, but such serious injuries as concussion, pneumo- or hemothorax, lung rupture are extremely rare.
The main sign of a bruise is severe pain and swelling at the site of the bruise, sometimes there are hematomas. You should immediately consult a doctor, as more severe damage is possible - a fracture of the rib. The surgeon will determine the severity of the bruise. With a mild degree, the patient is sent home with prescriptions. In case of complicated bruises, the victim is sent to the trauma department for treatment.
Causes of bruises
There are several situations in which injury becomes possible:
- Accident, in particular, when the passenger did not use the beltsecurity.
- Pushing ribs in passenger traffic during peak hours.
- When attending theaters and concerts, when a crowded crowd can squeeze you in the door.
- Occupational injuries due to safety violations.
- Falling from height or slight elevation.
- Sports injuries.
- Fights and fights with a powerful blow to the chest.
Edge functions
The frame of the ribs performs a barrier function - it protects the internal organs (lungs and heart), taking the whole blow. The ribs expand the chest and are lifted by the levator muscles under the action of innervation.
In the intercostal spaces there are blood vessels that can be damaged during injuries, which causes bruising (hematomas) and swelling.
Hematoma resolves on its own. If there is a crack or rupture of the muscle tissue on the ribs, the pain and swelling will increase.
Classification
It should be noted that the symptoms and treatment of bruised ribs are closely related. There are 3 degrees of rib bruises:
- 1st degree - the pain is small, may increase with sharp bends, turns and other movements, during palpation, but is absent at rest. Treatment in such cases is not required, and everything passes by itself within a week. The absence of a bruise is also an indicator of the 1st degree of injury.
- 2nd degree - there is a hematoma; as a rule, the pain is constant and increases with the slightest physical effort. Differential diagnosis is required. Medical treatment to eliminate swelling.
- 3rdthe degree occurs when falling from a height, the symptoms are combined. Accompanied by compression of the lungs. The pain is so sharp that it's hard to breathe.
Symptoms of bruised ribs
In the first hours, there are no symptoms. After 15-20 minutes, abrasions, swelling and bruises appear.
How long does bruised ribs hurt? The degree of pain in the first minutes and hours can be different. It can be so strong that it causes a painful shock.
With such an injury, discomfort does not go away for quite a long time (several weeks) and is especially painful when moving the body and breathing. The site of damage can be determined by palpation. With mild bruises, the pain disappears in 3-4 days.
Characteristic symptoms of bruised ribs:
- clear localization of pain, its intensification when inhaling and coughing, local tissue swelling;
- hematoma;
- redness at the site of injury, local hyperthermia.
By the way, the presence of a hematoma says more about damage to the skin of the chest than the ribs. In this case, the redness disappears within a day.
All these damages are visual. Lung auscultation is desirable to detect possible complications.
The subsidence of pain does not always mean recovery. Symptoms may be masked.
If symptoms such as limited chest excursion, large edema, crunching during inhalation-exhalation, clicking are added during a bruise, a rib fracture can also be suspected.
A simple way to distinguish between these 2 states: if you put your palms on your chestcell on both sides and gently squeeze, pain may increase. This is a clear break. With a bruise, such a reaction does not happen. If there is a lung injury, internal bleeding may occur. Then the affected side ceases to participate in the act of breathing and the general condition quickly deteriorates. With the development of inflammatory processes, the body temperature always rises.
Diagnosis of bruised ribs
Diagnosis takes a total of about an hour. During the initial examination, the doctor examines and palpates the chest.
When there is a rib fracture, the bone becomes mobile or non-anatomical. The symmetry of the chest and the participation of the muscles of both sides in the act of breathing are assessed. A quick and informative method is radiography, which will immediately reveal the presence of a fracture, crack or bruise. Pictures are taken in lateral and frontal projections. MRI of the lungs can reveal foci of small hemorrhages.
If the victim's body temperature does not drop for more than 2 days, pneumonia is possible; a blood test is taken and an x-ray is taken.
Probable Complications
How long does a bruised rib hurt, how long does it take to heal? Therapy, when all medical prescriptions are fulfilled, does not last long - usually 2 weeks are enough. And after 3 weeks, a person can fully consider himself he althy and return to work.
With complicated bruises, the pain becomes prolonged and full breathing is impossible, which causes tissue hypoxia andorgans. Adverse symptoms requiring urgent action:
- impaired consciousness, fainting, dizziness;
- threaded rapid pulse (more than 120-160 beats per minute) of weak filling/tension;
- shortness of breath - breathing rate - 28-30 times per minute;
- cardialgia.
In such cases, blood circulation and respiration can be catastrophically disturbed.
Severe rib bruises may occur rarely, but are possible:
- Pneumothorax - accumulation of gases or air in the pleural cavity.
- Hemothorax is an accumulation of blood in the pleural cavity or mediastinum.
- Acute impairment of pulmonary ventilation and circulation.
- Cardiac tamponade - accumulation of fluid in the pericardial sac.
- Post-traumatic pneumonia. It becomes possible due to developing hypoxia, which leads to stagnation.
- Lung contusion.
- Fractured ribs.
Bruised ribs that impair ventilation can cause breathing problems and cardiac arrest.
First aid for bruised ribs at home
In the first hours after an injury, it is always more effective. The victim should be sure to provide first aid for bruised ribs.
First, the victim must be removed from the danger zone. If this is an accident, he should be pulled out of the car and an ambulance called. Give it a horizontal position, laying it on the ground, or semi-sitting, so that the back leans back a little, onto the support. Apply a pressure bandage, unfasten the top buttons to make breathing easier, andtry to calm the victim. Try to provide him with complete physical rest, it is better to exclude all active movements.
To relieve pain and spasm at these moments, it is not recommended to give him antispasmodics and analgesics. They can obscure the picture of the general condition of the patient, and it will be difficult to make an accurate diagnosis.
What to do with symptoms of a bruised rib? The very first thing you can do is apply ice to the bruised area. This will reduce the feeling of pain and relieve swelling, reduce hemorrhage.
How to make a cold compress? You can take ice from the freezer, wrap it in a thin towel and apply it to the injured area. This procedure is performed before the ambulance arrives.
Important! Ice compresses are generally useful and are indicated in the first 3 days after injury. Damaged vessels from the cold narrow, hemorrhage decreases. Reduces soreness and swelling.
How long bruised ribs hurt is completely determined by the degree of injury.
Next, it is necessary to exclude the presence of a fracture. This, of course, will be done by doctors in the traumatology department, but you can also do this beforehand: lightly run your hand over the injured area. Swelling is possible, but dents and bulges should not be. Moreover, the bulges (a sign of fractured ribs) and the damaged area are not always identical.
If the victim is prescribed home treatment and observation after diagnosis, then how to treat a bruised rib at home?
First of all, it is necessary to reduce the physical activity of the victim. Active movements are excludedobserve several days of bed rest. Scratches and abrasions are treated with anesthetic and antiseptics.
In the early days, you need to sleep on the damaged side - this is a necessary condition and the answer to the question of many victims. Lying on the injured side will reduce the pain and make breathing easier. But after 4-5 days, the damaged area will need to be developed to prevent the appearance of bony growths.
During sleep, the back should be raised. In the first 3 days, you need to apply cold compresses - for 15 minutes 2-3 times a day.
For severe pain, it is quite acceptable to take analgesics, especially from a series of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Diclofenac is especially helpful.
How long does bruised ribs hurt? With a minor injury, a few days, with a more severe one, a few weeks. To ease breathing when coughing, to reduce pain, many bandage the chest. But it must be done correctly; it is better for a specialist to do this, otherwise there will be no proper effect.
How long does a bruised rib take to heal? Treatment for a minor injury does not last long. As mentioned above, a person can start working in 3 weeks. But the consequences of a bruise will still affect under heavy loads, meteorological dependence may be noted.
Treatment of bruised ribs
Treatment of a bruise is always complex, and rehabilitation is also complete. What and how to treat a bruised rib? The first goal of treatment is to reduce pain. There are 3 types of analgesia for bruises andrib fractures:
- "Paracetamol" - if it is well tolerated, then there will be no side effects from it. You shouldn't get too carried away with it, because it is harmful to the liver and blood.
- NSAIDs mentioned above. Preparations of this series are presented very widely and can be used both in the form of tablets and for local treatment in the form of ointments and gels. Among them - "Ibuprofen", "Diclofenac", "Nise gel", "Fenistil gel", "Ibuprofen", "Nimesil", "Naproxen" and many others. etc. They perfectly relieve inflammation and swelling. How long do ribs hurt after a bruise while taking NSAIDs? With an average degree of bruising, the pain goes away after 1-1.5 weeks. The condition for taking them is after eating, drink plenty of water. There is one condition - they cannot be combined with anticoagulants.
- Analgesics containing codeine in their composition will not only relieve pain, but also reduce coughing. Their side effect is that they can cause drowsiness and constipation. But during the healing period of bruises, this has its advantages - a bruise can be “sleeped”.
Regardless of the type, painkillers are taken regularly, without waiting for the peak of pain. Gradually, as you recover and pass the bruise, their dose will be reduced by the doctor.
Important! To know how long a bruised rib hurts, in each case, the doctor must assess the severity of the injury. With minor injuries, all discomfort disappears in 2-3 days.
Ointments and preparations
Existing local edema and hematoma increase the riskdevelopment of the inflammatory process. Therefore, ointments are prescribed to help. They have a very different focus:
- Ointments with anti-inflammatory effect - "Indovazin", "Voltaren", "Diclofenac", "Ibuprofen"; they are based on NSAIDs.
- For puffiness removal - "Bruise-off gel", "Express bruise".
- Fastum-gel, Finalgel, Quickgel, Nise, Apizartron, etc. give a good analgesic effect.
- For the rapid resorption of hematomas, Heparin ointment has proven itself very well. It has unique absorbing properties. Good helps and bodyaga. Accelerate healing "Trental" and "Pentoxifylline".
There are a lot of ointments in pharmacies, but you can’t choose them yourself. A doctor will do it better.
How to treat a bruised rib after an acute period? At the end of the acute period, physiotherapy comes into play. It marks the beginning of rehabilitation. Of the prescribed physiotherapy:
- electrophoresis;
- UHF therapy;
- UHF therapy;
- galvanization;
- magnetotherapy;
- exercise.
Often, victims are interested in the question: how long does a bruised rib hurt? Much depends on the individual characteristics of the body, the threshold of pain sensitivity, age, the presence of concomitant pathologies, the state of immunity, the degree of damage and the presence of complications. An uncomplicated bruise generally bothers about a month.
How longhurt bruised ribs in more severe cases? In more severe cases, it will already last at least six months.
Rehabilitation period
It becomes necessary because bed rest must be replaced by the restoration of mobility of the ribs. To do this, you can do exercise therapy under the supervision of an instructor, perform breathing exercises. Swimming becomes very useful, which strengthens the muscles of the back and chest very well.
How long do ribs hurt after a bruise when combined with a fracture? If the injury led to a fracture, the doctor will have to treat 2 types of damage at the same time. The healing of bone tissue in fractures also depends largely on the body and its capabilities. The process will take more than six months.
How long does bruised ribs hurt? According to the reviews, one can draw a conclusion about the individuality of the organism in each case. Often, the consequences of a bruise can bother for several years. With the use of Ibuprofen and analgesics, bed rest requires several months to complete the process.
In some people, the bruised area may hurt for a year. There are cases when even after 10-12 years there is a reaction to the weather - when it changes, aching pain is noted in the ribs.
