Chest and rib injury

This page is for people who have injured their chest or ribs. Chest and rib injuries are common, and they can be caused by:

• a fall
• a blow or impact to the chest or ribs

Most of these injuries can be managed safely at home, so you don't need to see a doctor or other health professional. For most rib or chest injuries, you won't need an X-ray.

Call for emergency help if you've had a new injury to the chest and:

• your breathing difficulties are getting worse
• you're coughing up blood
• you have blood in your vomit, or it looks like coffee granules

Phone a doctor or the 16263 health line if you've had a new injury within the last 7 days, for example a fall from a height or a direct blow to the chest or ribs, and:

• you are more short of breath, or you have new trouble breathing
• the shape of your rib area has changed, with lumps or dents
• the pain is stopping you from breathing deeply
• you've had 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 medicine that can thin your blood or stop it clotting, such as blood thinners, anti-coagulants or NSAIDs like aspirin or naproxen
• you have any condition that affects your bone health, like osteoporosis

Rib and chest injuries can cause several symptoms, including:

• pain
• bruising
• swelling
• clicking in the chest

With this kind of injury, it's typical for the pain to get worse when you:

• take a deep breath
• cough
• laugh
• sneeze
• move a certain way

There's quite a lot you can do yourself to manage a chest or rib injury and ease any pain you have.

Pain medicine can help you move more comfortably, and that in turn helps ease your symptoms.

More about taking painkillers

After a chest or rib injury, you're more likely to get a chest infection. Breathing exercises can help prevent one, because they help your lungs expand fully.

Try to do these exercises every hour while you're awake, and keep going until your breathing feels comfortable again. Sit upright if you can. Take a deep breath in, hold it for 4 seconds, then breathe out slowly and gently. Do this 4 times each hour.

Coughing hurts when you have a chest or rib injury. So instead of coughing the way you normally would, try a huff. A huff is a fast breath out, like the one you'd use to steam up a pair of glasses or a mirror.

Do 2 or 3 huffs at a time after your breathing exercises. This should make it easier to cough up any phlegm. Hugging a pillow or cushion to your chest while you do it may also ease the pain.

You may need to change how you sleep for a while. Many people find it more comfortable to sleep upright, held up by a few extra pillows. Try to go back to your normal sleeping position after a few days.

If you wear a bra, it may help to keep it on at night, as some people find this more comfortable. A soft bra without an underwire is worth trying.

Keeping active is an essential part of recovering from a chest and rib injury. Try to build up your activity bit by bit, and avoid long periods of bed rest.

It's normal for these injuries to be painful and to limit how much you can move. But too much rest can slow your recovery down. As soon as you can, start moving and using the affected area. A little movement or activity is better than nothing.

Moving is likely to hurt at first. You don't need to be pain free to start, so try to keep your activities within a level of pain you can manage.

To help you pace yourself, you can rate your pain out of 10. On this scale 0 is no pain and 10 is the worst pain you've ever had. For example:

• 0 to 3: minimal pain
• 4 to 5: acceptable pain
• 6 to 10: excessive pain

Activity can make the discomfort worse for a while, as your body gets used to returning to your normal daily activities. Aim to keep your pain within a rating of 0 to 5. If it goes above this, you can change how much you are doing by:

• reducing the number of times you do a movement
• reducing the pace of an activity
• increasing rest time between activities

Most of the healing in a chest or rib injury happens between 6 to 8 weeks after you were hurt. You may still have aches and some discomfort after that, and this is normal. It usually shows up when you try activities you haven't done for a while. The area can also stay more sensitive than usual for some time after the injury, and that is normal too.

With a chest or rib injury, you may sometimes need to take some time off work so you can recover. How long you stay off depends on the injury and on the kind of work you do.

You don't have to be free of symptoms before you think about going back. In fact, carrying on with work, or returning as soon as you're able to, will help your recovery.

Getting back to your normal daily activities bit by bit can also build up your strength and stamina.

A rib or chest injury often happens after a fall, and many things can make you more likely to fall in the first place.

Further advice about preventing falls

If you follow this advice, you should see gradual improvement over time.

Talk to a doctor if:

• your symptoms haven't improved within 6 weeks of following this advice
• your symptoms get worse

Find out how to reach MSK services in your area.

With any health condition, look after your mental wellbeing too, because it can affect your recovery.

Don't include personal information, such as your name, location or any personal health conditions.