Can doctors do anything for a bruised rib?

Resting and restricting your activities are the main treatment options for bruised ribs. Ice may help relieve some of your pain and swelling. Since bruised ribs cause pain when you inhale causing you to take more shallow breaths, your doctor may prescribe medication to help manage your pain.

What doctor treats bruised ribs?

The function of ribs and the ribcage are to protect not only your lungs but also other vital organs in your chest. That is why a rib injury should always be assessed by an orthopedic doctor to make sure the organs it protects have not been affected.

What can a doctor do for hurt ribs?

Medications. It’s important to obtain adequate pain relief — if it hurts to breathe deeply, you may develop pneumonia. If oral medications don’t help enough, your doctor might suggest injections of long-lasting anesthesia around the nerves that supply the ribs.

What can you do for severe bruised ribs?

Resting and restricting your activities are the main treatment options for bruised ribs. Ice may help relieve some of your pain and swelling. Since bruised ribs cause pain when you inhale — causing you to take more shallow breaths — your doctor may prescribe medication to help manage your pain.

How long do bruised ribs take to heal?

Things you can do yourself Broken or bruised ribs heal in the same way and usually get better by themselves within 3 to 6 weeks.

Can you have bruised ribs without a visible bruise?

An injury may damage the rib but not cause a bruise that you can see. Sometimes it can be hard to tell if a rib is bruised or broken. The symptoms may be the same. And a broken bone can’t always be seen on an X-ray.

Is there anything I can do to help my bruised ribs?

Resting and restricting your activities are the main treatment options for bruised ribs. Ice may help relieve some of your pain and swelling. Since bruised ribs cause pain when you inhale — causing you to take more shallow breaths — your doctor may prescribe medication to help manage your pain.

How long does it take for a bruised rib to heal?

Bruised ribs are notorious for their long healing time. Unfortunately, unlike other bones of the body, ribs cannot be placed in a cast, which is why we need to wait for them to heal on their own. Typical healing time for bruised ribs is anywhere between 3 to 6 weeks. However, some may take even longer.

What is the best thing for bruised ribs?

One of the best things to do for broken or bruised ribs is to apply hot packs over them. This helps more if you do not have any accompanying external injuries as well. If you do, you should apply ice packs.

How do I treat bruised or broken ribs?

Method 1 of 3: Getting Immediate Relief Ice the injured area on and off for 48 hours. Icing your ribs will help reduce pain and swelling so that the bruised tissue can heal more quickly. Take pain medication as directed. If every breath hurts, controlling the pain will go a long way to helping you feel better. Apply moist heat after 48 hours. Avoid wrapping your ribs.