I got a dumb question. I've never broken a bone so I'm not sure exactly how it feels. But is it possible to break a rib by pulling on something too hard? I was swinging some decent size tree limbs this morning and was a little sore, but nothing worth mentioning. Then this afternoon I stopped at a customer's house to look at a tree stump. I started yanking a section of chain link fence away from the stump and all of a sudden it felt like someone hit me in the ribs with a baseball bat. I stopped and tried to stand up and it hurt like Hell to take a full breath. That was about 2 hours ago and it still hurts just as bad. I can get it to ease up if I wad up a towel and lean back on it in my chair.

I swear it feels like someone beat me with a bat.

 

Ribs are the hardest thing to figure out. I broke a rib while mountain biking- did a big digger. Thought I just knocked the wind outta me, but the next day I couldnt take a deep breath. X-Rays showed a hair line fracture.... best part? Theres nothing they can do for you. Just wrap yourself up and take small breaths. And for gods sake don't sneeze. Sounds like you just pulled a muscle, which will also bring you to your knees. The difference I've found is..... broken rib?------no position is comfortable. Pulled muscle? you can find a position that is tolerable, and acutally forget you're hurt- till you move wrong. Just take it easy! Oh yeah- have a cold frosty

 

Yeah you probably just pulled/strained a muscle, I cant see you breaking a rib just by pulling on a chain, you would have to exert some sort of external force on the bones to break em.

 

Go see this guy:




He just LOVES clinic duty!!!



Seriously . . .

It sounds like you strained something. However, diagnosis over the web is "iffy" at best.

You could have a fracture, but there's no way to tell. Even if you put your ribs up against the screen none of us could really say.

Go see the doc (preferably someone other than House) so that they can check you out and tell you "It's nothing. Take it easy for a while." Then hope they give you some good muscle relaxants or Vicodin (the best!), or some other fun stuff.

Maybe they'll give you an MAO Inhibitor.

(just messin with ya). Seriously . . . see the doctor.

By the way . . . my new doctor . . . HOT !!!! If you're lucky, yours will be too. (that always helps ease the pain).

 

Not necessarily true

Also could also have done something to self earlier that was exacerbated later . . . resulting in the completion of a fracture, or the feeling of it . . . not actually caused by the yanking of the chain.

 

Yeah, it's probably not broken. And the idea of going to a doc and paying him money to tell me to take it easy and give me a prescription that I really can't fill doesn't sound like a thrilling idea. You see, I'm alergic to alcohol and narcotics so I avoid the heavy-duty pain pills. I can't take the chance of taking them.

What s-crew said makes sense. With the right pressure point I can get it to quit hurting, until I move again. I'll eat a few Advil and see how it feels in the morning. Thanks guys!

 

PS . . . DON'T. USE. HEAT.

That's DON'T. As in do NOT.

Do what you want. If it continues to hurt though seeing the doc and getting an xray wouldn't be the worst thing that could happen.

'Nuff said.

 

A doctor visit like this:

”So doc, is my rib broken or fractured?”

“I have good news and bad news”

“The good news is your ribs are fine. The bad news is you have approx. 9 months to live. Please see the receptionist and pay your bill now as for people like you there is no payment plans…”

Doctors are like auto mechanics, if they can’t find something wrong they will make something wrong so they have something to repair…

 

I broke two ribs, along with a collarbone several years ago. The collarbone can be treated, the ribs usually can't. Whether you strained muscles, broke ribs, or just separated them, the treatment is the same, rest, rest, rest. The ribs won't let you do much of anything if they're broken. I discovered that two broken ribs didn't allow me to sleep in bed. It was fine getting down on the bed, minimum hurt, but getting up was nearly impossible without blacking out. I ended up sleeping in a recliner for 3 or 4 weeks. Deeping breathing was a no-no, as was laughing, coughing and sneezing.

Good luck RockyJ


edited to include sneezing!!!

 

Got it, no heat.
The other thing I don't want to do is sneeze. Made me see stars. I really really regret that last sneeze. I'm gonna try real hard not to do that again tonight. :o

 

I had an injury like that a few years ago.
I was tossing a football with my two nephews.
They were about 19 at the time.
The little SOBs kept backing up and backing up determined to throw farther than me.

I was reaching my limit and put everything I had into it and BANG, pain just like you described. I was OK in about two days.

I barely had enough strength to write the two little bastards out of my will.

 

RJS, are you yanking our chain??

Sorry, no time for jokes, I seriously hope you feel better soon. What's with you and the injuries lately? You need to take it easy!!

I have never broken a rib but I did break my ankle many years ago. Strangely enough it didn't hurt much. My father broke several ribs a long time ago, all I can remember is he was in a lot of pain for what seemed like a long time. Doesn't sound to me like broken ribs but I'm not a doctor either.

 

PSS you most likely pulled it typing one of those long *** replies to a thread........








J/K my friend, take care of it, relax and it will heal. you pulled something thats all.

 

I hit the road at about 25-30mph falling off a mountain bike one day, the ribs softened the fall first, followed by my sunglasses and head then my knee and arm/elbow. Overall, 1 broken pair of Oakley's, 1 badely cut eye-brow (it was deep from the sunglasses being shoved into my head), scraped up knee and arm/elbow, and a set of right side ribs that hurt to do anything. I'm sure I bruised them a little bit and pulled something. for a few weeks any movement and I knew they were there, but after about 3 weeks everything was good again. I might should have gone to the dr., but knew they couldn't do anything if they had been broken (besides give me a few stitches to fix my eye-brow).



Oh, getting up from the road with no wind in my lungs, a hurt side, and blood rushing down my face onto the pavement must have been a sight to see.

 

I've broke 5 ribs in my football playing career, it was unpleasant to say the least, but it's also possible to tear the intercostal cartilage in your rib area, that hurts just as bad from what I have heard and I know I guy who did it from overexertion/ twisting motion of his upper body.