

Watch you breathe and listen to your lungs to make sure air is moving in and out normally.Push on your chest to find out where you are hurt.Your doctor will ask questions about your injury and do a physical exam. If you can't breathe normally because of your injuries, you may: Pain around the fracture when someone pushes on your breastbone.Mild to severe pain in the injured area.It also makes it harder for the muscles to work well, so it's harder to take a breath. This leaves less space in your chest for your lungs to open and air to flow in. If you have flail chest, the broken area can't hold its shape when you take a breath.

A common injury when you have a fractured rib is a punctured or collapsed lung ( pneumothorax).įlail chest is a serious problem that happens when three or more ribs are broken in more than one place.

A blow that is hard enough to fracture a rib could also injure your lungs, spleen, blood vessels, or other parts of your body. It is important to see a doctor after a rib injury. The muscles used for breathing pull on the ribs, so breathing may be very painful when you have a fractured rib. This leaves plenty of space for your lungs to fill up with air. They help you breathe by keeping space open inside your chest while the muscles you use to breathe squeeze in, or contract.This is more likely to happen if you have a disease that has made your bones weak, such as osteoporosis or cancer. The most common cause of a fractured rib is a direct blow to the chest, often from a car accident or a fall. A break in the thick tissue ( cartilage) that connects the ribs to the breastbone may also be called a fractured rib, even if the bone itself is not broken.
#Broken or fractured rib symptoms crack#
A rib fracture is a crack or break in one of the bones of the rib cage.
