Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsSymptomsTypesCausesTreatmentWhen to See a ProviderDiagnosisSimilar Conditions
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Symptoms
Types
Causes
Treatment
When to See a Provider
Diagnosis
Similar Conditions
A fractured rib is the preferred medical term for a cracked or broken rib. A cracked rib is more of a description than a medical diagnosis and suggests a rib that has been partially fractured. A broken rib, which is the same thing as a fractured rib, describes any break in the bone.
Any blunt impact to the chest or back can cause a rib fracture, including a fall, a sports injury, a car accident, or even violent coughing. You may not realize you have a broken rib until you experience the classic symptom of a rib fracture: pain when taking in a deep breath.
Symptoms of Fractured Ribs
Symptoms include:
Verywell / Cindy Chung
Types of Broken or Cracked Ribs
Most of the time, a rib is only broken in one place and causes an incomplete fracture, meaning a crack or break that doesn’t go all the way through the bone. But there are other types of rib fractures.
Displaced and Nondisplaced Rib Fractures
Completely broken ribs may or may not move out of place. If they move, they’re called displaced rib fractures and are more likely to puncture lungs or damage other tissues and organs.
Ribs that stay in place—usually ribs that are not completely broken in half—are called nondisplaced rib fractures.
Flail Chest
On rare occasions, a section of the ribcage will break away from the surrounding bone and muscle. If this happens, the ribcage will lose its stability, and the bone can move freely as the person inhales or exhales.
This section of a broken ribcage is called aflail segment. This is much more dangerous as it can puncture the lungs and cause other serious complications, likepneumonia.
What Is Stress Fracture?
Common causes of fractured ribs include:
Older people can experience a fracture from an otherwise minor injury due to the progressive loss of bone minerals as a person ages.
How Common Are Cracked Ribs?Rib fractures are the most common bone fracture, accounting for 10% to 20% of all blunt trauma injuries seen in emergency departments. In cases where a person seeks care for a blunt injury to the chest, 60% to 80% will involve a broken rib.
How Common Are Cracked Ribs?
Rib fractures are the most common bone fracture, accounting for 10% to 20% of all blunt trauma injuries seen in emergency departments. In cases where a person seeks care for a blunt injury to the chest, 60% to 80% will involve a broken rib.
How Is a Broken Rib Treated?
Although fractured ribs are painful, simple fractures usually heal on their own. Time, rest, and physical therapy can speed the healing process and help maintain the range of motion of the chest wall.
In the past, the treatment of broken ribs involved wrapping the chest with a wide band called a rib belt. These are rarely if ever used today as they restrict breathing, increasing the risk of pneumonia or even a partial lung collapse.
The best treatment for a fractured rib is an over-the-counter or prescription painkiller.Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)likeAdvil (ibuprofen)orAleve (naproxen)work best. If the break is extensive, you may be given a stronger pain medication likeTylenol #3 (acetaminophen + codeine)orPercocet (oxycodone + acetaminophen).
During the early stages of recovery, it is best to sleep upright. You can use pillows and bolsters to help you sit up in bed or simply sleep in an easy chair. Lying down can place pressure on the injury, causing pain and possibly making the injury worse.
Healing can take at least six weeks, so it is important to also exercise patience.
How to Treat a Rib Fracture
When to See a Healthcare Provider
The most common complication of broken ribs is not being able to take a deep breath because it hurts. If you don’t breathe deeply enough, mucous and moisture can build up in the lungs and lead to an infection such aspneumonia.
Displaced rib fractures can also damage other tissues or organs, increasing the risk of a collapsed lung (pneumothorax) orinternal bleeding.
To this end, it is important to seek immediate medical care if you had a cracked rib and develop symptoms like:
ImportantAny force hard enough to break a rib is powerful enough to cause other, more life-threatening injuries. It’s also possible to break more than one rib at a time. More than three broken ribs at one time are potentially life-threatening.Since the only way to tell if a rib is broken is with an X-ray, it’s important to go to the emergency department if you suspect you’ve sustained a rib injury.
Important
Any force hard enough to break a rib is powerful enough to cause other, more life-threatening injuries. It’s also possible to break more than one rib at a time. More than three broken ribs at one time are potentially life-threatening.Since the only way to tell if a rib is broken is with an X-ray, it’s important to go to the emergency department if you suspect you’ve sustained a rib injury.
Any force hard enough to break a rib is powerful enough to cause other, more life-threatening injuries. It’s also possible to break more than one rib at a time. More than three broken ribs at one time are potentially life-threatening.
Since the only way to tell if a rib is broken is with an X-ray, it’s important to go to the emergency department if you suspect you’ve sustained a rib injury.
How Is a Fractured Rib Diagnosed?
A fractured rib is diagnosed with a physical exam and imaging tests. During the physical exam, a healthcare provider will listen to your lung sounds, press gently on the ribs, and watch as your rib cage moves.
The imaging test options include:
When Is Pain Under Your Left Rib Cage Serious?
Rib Fracture vs. Other Conditions
What feels like a fractured rib may actually be indicative of a similar condition. This is why it’s important to have yourself check out if you think that you have a cracked rib.
Other possible causes of your symptoms include:
Summary
A cracked rib is a common term for a type of rib fracture that can occur with a fall, car accident, sports injury, or violent coughing. The central symptom is pain when you inhale. The injury will usually heal on its own within six weeks. Over-the-counter or prescription painkillers can help manage the pain.
On rare occasions, a fractured rib can cause complications like pneumonia. See a healthcare provider if you have a rib fracture and experience high fever, chills, difficulty breathing, severe chest pain, or a persistent cough with mucus.
4 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Yale Medicine.Rib fracture (broken rib).Liebsch C, Seiffert T, Vlcek M, Beer M, Huber-Lang M, Wilke HJ.Patterns of serial rib fractures after blunt chest trauma: an analysis of 380 cases.PLoS One.2019;14(12):e0224105. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0224105May L, Hillerma C, Patil S.Rib fracture management.BJA Education.2016;16:1. doi:10.1093/bjaceaccp/mkv011Majercik S, Pieracci FM.Chest wall trauma.Thorac Surg Clin. 2017;27(2):113-21. doi:10.1016/j.thorsurg.2017.01.004
4 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Yale Medicine.Rib fracture (broken rib).Liebsch C, Seiffert T, Vlcek M, Beer M, Huber-Lang M, Wilke HJ.Patterns of serial rib fractures after blunt chest trauma: an analysis of 380 cases.PLoS One.2019;14(12):e0224105. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0224105May L, Hillerma C, Patil S.Rib fracture management.BJA Education.2016;16:1. doi:10.1093/bjaceaccp/mkv011Majercik S, Pieracci FM.Chest wall trauma.Thorac Surg Clin. 2017;27(2):113-21. doi:10.1016/j.thorsurg.2017.01.004
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Yale Medicine.Rib fracture (broken rib).Liebsch C, Seiffert T, Vlcek M, Beer M, Huber-Lang M, Wilke HJ.Patterns of serial rib fractures after blunt chest trauma: an analysis of 380 cases.PLoS One.2019;14(12):e0224105. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0224105May L, Hillerma C, Patil S.Rib fracture management.BJA Education.2016;16:1. doi:10.1093/bjaceaccp/mkv011Majercik S, Pieracci FM.Chest wall trauma.Thorac Surg Clin. 2017;27(2):113-21. doi:10.1016/j.thorsurg.2017.01.004
Yale Medicine.Rib fracture (broken rib).
Liebsch C, Seiffert T, Vlcek M, Beer M, Huber-Lang M, Wilke HJ.Patterns of serial rib fractures after blunt chest trauma: an analysis of 380 cases.PLoS One.2019;14(12):e0224105. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0224105
May L, Hillerma C, Patil S.Rib fracture management.BJA Education.2016;16:1. doi:10.1093/bjaceaccp/mkv011
Majercik S, Pieracci FM.Chest wall trauma.Thorac Surg Clin. 2017;27(2):113-21. doi:10.1016/j.thorsurg.2017.01.004
Meet Our Medical Expert Board
Share Feedback
Was this page helpful?Thanks for your feedback!What is your feedback?OtherHelpfulReport an ErrorSubmit
Was this page helpful?
Thanks for your feedback!
What is your feedback?OtherHelpfulReport an ErrorSubmit
What is your feedback?
