Chest and rib injury
Chest and rib injury
This information is for people who have injured their chest or rib area.
Chest and rib injuries are common, and are usually caused by:
- a fall
- a blow or impact to the chest or ribs
Most injuries can be safely managed at home without needing to see a healthcare professional. For most rib or chest injuries, you will not need an X-ray.
Common Symptoms
Emergency Warning Signs
Phone 999 if:
you’ve had a new injury to the chest and:
- you have breathing difficulties that are worsening
- you’re coughing up blood
- you have blood in your vomit or what looks like coffee granules
Phone 111 if:
you’ve had a new injury within the last 7 days, for example a fall from height or direct impact to the chest or ribs and:
- you have an increased shortness of breath or new breathing difficulties
- there’s a change in shape of the rib area like lumps or dents
- your pain levels are preventing you from breathing deeply
- there is pain in your abdomen or shoulder since the injury
- you have a new cough
- you’re coughing up yellow or green mucus (phlegm)
- you start to feel generally unwell
- you are taking medication that can thin your blood or prevent clotting like blood thinners, anti-coagulants or NSAIDs like aspirin or naproxen
- you have any condition that affects your bone health like osteoporosis
⚠️ This symptom list is for educational purposes. Having these symptoms does not mean you have this condition. See a doctor for proper diagnosis.
Medicines Commonly Used
⚠️ These medicines are commonly used for confirmed diagnoses of this condition. This is NOT a recommendation or prescription. Treatment must be determined by your doctor.
No medicines have been linked to this condition yet.
When to See a Doctor
Phone 999 if:
you’ve had a new injury to the chest and:
- you have breathing difficulties that are worsening
- you’re coughing up blood
- you have blood in your vomit or what looks like coffee granules
Phone 111 if:
you’ve had a new injury within the last 7 days, for example a fall from height or direct impact to the chest or ribs and:
- you have an increased shortness of breath or new breathing difficulties
- there’s a change in shape of the rib area like lumps or dents
- your pain levels are preventing you from breathing deeply
- there is pain in your abdomen or shoulder since the injury
- you have a new cough
- you’re coughing up yellow or green mucus (phlegm)
- you start to feel generally unwell
- you are taking medication that can thin your blood or prevent clotting like blood thinners, anti-coagulants or NSAIDs like aspirin or naproxen
- you have any condition that affects your bone health like osteoporosis
Treatment
Managing your pain
Pain medication can help you move more comfortably, which can help manage your symptoms.
More about taking painkillers
Prevention
After a chest or rib injury, you're more likely to develop a chest infection. Doing some simple breathing exercises can help prevent this, as they allow your lungs to expand fully.
If you've injured your chest or ribs, try to do these exercises every hour while you're awake. Keep it up regularly until your breathing feels comfortable again.
Take a deep breath in, hold it for 4 seconds, then let it out slowly and gently. Repeat this 4 times each hour, and try to do it while sitting upright.
Coughing can be quite painful with a chest or rib injury. Instead of coughing normally, try using a "huff" a fast breath out, similar to what you'd do to fog up a pair of glasses or a mirror.
Do 2 or 3 huffs at a time after your breathing exercises. This makes it easier to bring up any phlegm. Hugging a pillow or cushion to your chest while you do this can also help ease the pain.
Sleeping after a chest or rib injury
You may need to adjust how you sleep for a while. Many people find it more comfortable to sleep propped upright with extra pillows. Try to go back to your normal sleeping position after a few days.
If you wear a bra, you might find it more comfortable to keep it on while sleeping. A soft bra without an underwire tends to work best for this.
Complications
Staying active is one of the most important parts of getting better. Try to build up your activity little by little, and avoid spending long periods resting in bed.
It is normal for an injury like this to hurt and to limit how much you can move. But resting too much can actually slow your recovery down. As soon as you are able, start moving and using the injured area again. Even a small amount of movement is better than none at all.
Moving around is likely to hurt at first, and that is expected. You do not need to be completely free of pain before you start. Just try to keep what you do within a level of pain you can manage.
To help you judge the right level of activity, you can rate your pain out of 10, where 0 means no pain at all and 10 means the worst pain you have ever felt. For example:
- 0 to 3, minimal pain
- 4 to 5, acceptable pain
- 6 to 10, excessive pain
Being active can make things feel more uncomfortable for a while as your body adjusts to normal daily activities again. Try to keep your pain at a level of 0 to 5. If it climbs higher than that, you can ease off by:
- doing fewer repetitions of a movement
- slowing down the pace of the activity
- resting for longer between activities
How long recovery takes
Most of the healing takes place within 6 to 8 weeks of the injury. It is still normal to feel aches and discomfort after this time, especially when you try activities you have not done in a while. The area may also stay a bit more sensitive than usual for some time afterward.
Driving
Speak to your insurance provider before you drive again, since this kind of injury may affect your cover. You need to be able to safely carry out an emergency stop or sudden manoeuvre, and you should always feel fully in control of your vehicle.
Work
A chest or rib injury can sometimes mean taking time off work while you recover. How long you need will depend on the injury itself and what your job involves. You do not have to wait until you are completely symptom free before going back. In fact, continuing to work, or returning as soon as you reasonably can, will support your recovery. Gradually building back up to your usual daily activities helps rebuild your strength and stamina.
Falls
Rib and chest injuries very often happen because of a fall, and there are several things that can raise your risk of falling. You can find further advice on preventing falls.
Help and support
If you follow this guidance, you should notice steady improvement over time. Speak to a healthcare professional if your symptoms have not improved after 6 weeks of following this advice, or if they get worse. You can also find out how to access MSK services in your area.
Whenever you are dealing with a health condition, it is worth looking after your mental wellbeing too, since this can affect how well you recover. Please do not include personal information such as your name, location, or details of any personal health conditions.