Bruised ribs

Martina Feichter studied biology with an elective subject pharmacy in Innsbruck and also immersed herself in the world of medicinal plants. From there it was not far to other medical topics that still captivate her to this day. She trained as a journalist at the Axel Springer Academy in Hamburg and has been working for since 2007 - first as an editor and since 2012 as a freelance writer.

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A rib bruise is a blunt, closed injury to the bony chest, for example as a result of a fall or blow. Often it is a sports injury. However, a fall on the stairs or in the bathroom often causes bruised ribs. Pain is the main symptom of this injury. Read more about the topic here: What is a bruised rib? What to do about the pain How long does the healing process take?

Bruised ribs: description

Doctors refer to a blunt, closed injury in the rib area as a rib bruise. The ribs are not broken. The bruise can affect one or more ribs and vary in severity. A rib bruise often occurs as part of sports injuries.

Bruised rib: symptoms

Localized (circumscribed) pain is the main symptom of bruised ribs. Coughing or breathing in makes the symptoms worse. Pain-related shortness of breath can even occur.

A bruise mark can sometimes be seen on the skin at the injury site. If blood vessels were injured in the trauma, a bruise (hematoma) forms.

Bruised rib: causes and risk factors

A rib bruise is caused by direct blunt external force on the bony rib substance. The ribs are usually only covered by a thin layer of skin, and the periosteum is very sensitive to pain. A bump or kick, hard impact or fall on the ribs can therefore easily lead to a bruise.

This happens particularly often in sport, especially in contact sports such as football, handball or ice hockey, as well as in martial arts (such as judo, aikido, boxing, wrestling). But a fall while cycling, skiing or climbing stairs can also cause bruises to the ribs. The same applies if a driver hits the steering wheel with his chest in an accident.

Bruised rib: examinations and diagnosis

If a rib bruise is suspected, the doctor will first discuss the patient's medical history (anamnesis). Possible questions are:

How did the injury come about?
What complaints do you have?
Where exactly do you feel pain?

This is followed by the physical examination. The doctor carefully feels the ribs. The injured area is very tender on pressure, both with a bruise and when the ribs are broken. The two clinical pictures are not always easy to distinguish from one another on the basis of the physical examination alone.

Therefore, if a rib cage is suspected, the chest is always x-rayed. Bony injuries, such as a fracture, can generally be seen well on the X-ray.

Bruised rib: treatment

As a first aid measure, you should cool the injured area if you have bruised ribs. You can put ice cubes wrapped in a cloth or a cold compress on the bruised ribs. This reduces the pain and counteracts any swelling of the tissue.

The attending physician will prescribe suitable pain relievers such as tramadol or ibuprofen. The latter also has an anti-inflammatory effect.

Coughing is very painful with a bruised rib. If necessary, patients are given a cough suppressant (antitussive) for the night to enable a restful sleep.

Expectorant drugs (mucolytics) facilitate the painful coughing up of stuck secretions in the airways when a rib is bruised.

Greater strain on the chest area should be avoided even if the ribs are slightly bruised. For example, patients should not carry heavy loads and should behave in a back-friendly manner. This includes crouching with your back straight when you want to pick something up from the floor.

Bruised rib: disease course and prognosis

A rib bruise becomes painful, especially when you inhale deeply and cough. Many patients therefore only breathe shallowly and carefully (easy breathing) and avoid coughing. This can lead to pneumonia, especially in elderly patients.

In severe cases, a blunt chest injury such as a bruised rib can also lead to a bruise of internal organs, such as a bruise of the heart (heart contusion) or a bruise of the lungs (lung contusion). Cardiac contusion manifests itself, for example, in cardiac arrhythmias, severe lung contusion can cause dangerous breathing problems (often after hours or days).