Can my teen speed up recovery from cracked ribs? 

With rib injuries, we tend not to breathe very deeply. Pain relief is important to reduce the risk of developing a chest infection. This is because the movement of the ribs is painful, so we try to reduce it

Dr Phil Kieran: "I used to work with an emergency medicine consultant who told us not to X-ray a suspected broken rib because if it’s bruised, it’ll hurt for three weeks, but if it's broken, it will still hurt for three weeks. His point was that the treatment would be the same, so we shouldn’t expose the patient to unnecessary X-rays."

My daughter, who's 15, tripped and cracked her ribs two weeks ago. She's following the doctor's advice and taking things easy. She is sitting the Junior Cert next month and wants to be well for the exams. Is there anything she can do to speed up the healing process?

Rib injuries can be incredibly painful, and I can’t imagine having this on top of the stress of having to sit State exams. Fortunately for your daughter, she is likely already through the worst of the pain by now and should be more or less pain-free by the time the exams come around.

Most rib injuries in adolescents occur in a sports setting, with the ribs suffering a direct impact. I suspect in your daughter’s case, she landed on her arm or against a hard edge of something, which generated enough force to cause a break. 

It can be difficult to tell if ribs are bruised or broken. 

I used to work with an emergency medicine consultant who told us not to X-ray a suspected broken rib because if it’s bruised, it’ll hurt for three weeks, but if it's broken, it will still hurt for three weeks. His point was that the treatment would be the same, so we shouldn’t expose the patient to unnecessary X-rays.

Most rib injuries heal within four to six weeks, and the worst of the pain should be over around the end of week three. I hope your daughter has been given sufficient pain relief and that it isn’t so strong that it makes her too drowsy coming up to the exam.

Pain relief is important to reduce the risk of developing a chest infection. With rib injuries, we tend not to breathe very deeply. This is because the movement of the ribs is painful, so we try to reduce it. 

Over the course of a few weeks, this significantly increases the risk of developing a chest infection, as mucus isn’t cleared well, and bacteria can establish themselves. To prevent this, your doctor would likely have advised your daughter to take sets of 10-12 deep breaths at regular intervals during the day.

Also, if she finds it uncomfortable to cough, she should try holding onto the rib from the outside while coughing. This can provide a surprising amount of pain relief and allow her to breathe and clear her lungs more effectively.

Unfortunately, there is not much she can do to help broken bones heal faster. Rest and good nutrition are important to all healing, and this should be encouraged. 

Sometimes, pain relief can cause constipation, which should be treated not just for its own sake but also because it will reduce her appetite.

While we're on the topic of bone health, I would like to encourage all young women to ensure they get enough calcium in their diets. The bone strength they develop during their teens is very important in reducing their risk of osteoporosis in later life.

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