Bruised ribs...how long?

[lobolator]

My ribs and the muscles around them are so sore. How long before they start feeling better. I'm looking for the answer that includes riding with the healing time. Unless I really shouldn't be riding(yeah right). I feel ok when I'm riding but at night....ouch where's the ibuprofen.

[chucko58]

IME, could be a couple weeks before the pain fades away completely, could be a few months, depending on how hard and where you hit. If you didn't break anything - and in some cases, even if you did - there's nothing the doc can do for you anyway. So get right back out there and ride!

[mroneeyedboh]

yeah ribs are a b itch. they can hurt for months. and then when you think the pain is gone, you take a deep breath in and here comes the sharp pains again. rib injuries suck bad.

[CANBONSAN]

I am going on my fourth week of sore ribs after a hard fall. Of course I could have done things to improve the healing time ( like not repeating the fall three days after the original injury on a night ride) like ice ibupofrin. I took five days off the bike after that. Like your experience it feels fine on the bike but sleeping on my prefered left side hasn't been comfortable for a month.

[trailville]

I'm going on 3 months and still have pain when lying down but it's gradually getting better. I was riding again (carefully) within a week and after about a month my ribs didn't really interfere with anything I did (except for lying down).

[rafdog]

I had one that was bad for about a month and then lingered (laying on side) for another...it was forgotten after being replaced by a nasty thigh bruise from handlebar that has been going on fer weeks....thank you sir may I have another.

[blackjack]

Popped the ribs on my left side a couple of weeks ago, after over-cooking a fast, loose corner. Didn't even hit them on anything, just the force of the impact. The rest of the injuries are healed up, but the ribs are still giving me hell.

I thought they were on the road to recovery, until my wife leaned on them in bed......, CRACK, and that was the ribs.

The Doc said I just separated the original tear in the muscle/cartilage/rib again or some such. Two weeks of light duties at work (means driving a desk) and no riding....bugger.

The Doctor did say that the injury could easily be aggravated, causing a break, which I would be looking at six weeks of the bike etc.

Time heals, apparently.
Stay safe.

[8Trak]

Bruised ribs suck... I'm sure broken ribs are even worse. Healing time of course depends on each injury, but I found that they stop hurting during the day and while biking before they stop hurting while lying down in bed, or worse, getting out of bed.

BTW, I hurt mine most recently when I crashed while off the back of the saddle.... the seat speared me right above my diaphragm. Before that, it was a snowboarding injury... crashed on and into a boulder submerged in deep powder. Ouch and ouch.

[devinjo]

I endo-ed and cracked a rib and banged up a load of others. Went to the chiro -could hardly breath without searing pain when I went in and could breath easily when I left. After a couple more visits I was able to get back on the bike 2 weeks to the day and had an awesome ride!. I Do have one cracked rib but they were able to "fix" the rest!!

[elsinore]

I endo-ed and cracked a rib and banged up a load of others. Went to the chiro -could hardly breath without searing pain when I went in and could breath easily when I left. After a couple more visits I was able to get back on the bike 2 weeks to the day and had an awesome ride!. I Do have one cracked rib but they were able to "fix" the rest!!

Who did you see? Chiro?

I cracked a few two weeks ago, and they still feel the same as the day they were smashed.
Endoed and landed with my chest on a rock, also got a hairline fracture in my thumb, while Im trying to get the thumb squared away, the doc said there was nothing I could do for the ribs, I have been using ice with little results. I think my abdominal muscles really took a beating as well beaucse they are aching just as bad as the ribs.

any advice appreciated, thanks.

[devinjo]

Who did you see? Chiro?

Saw the ER to diagnose the cracked rib and the chiro did an xray and then put the ribs back. ER doctor said there was nothing to be done for the ribs, too. They seem to think the chiro is a voodoo witch doctor!

[stevefo]

I'm in the RIB club.

I had a nice little endo on Christmas Eve'. Came down and broke the bar end with my chest muscles and the impact I took on the ground knocked my breath out and I was flopping around like a fish out of water. It took about 10 minutes to get back on the bike and finish the ride out in pain. The real kicker is when I woke up on Christmas day and I could not move. I wonder if I have a cracked rib I started popping 800 mg of Ibuprophen 3 times a day. Today is the 28th and the pain is still bad. I am supposed to go riding tomorrow. The Wife is pissed that I may go. She said no freakin way

[mtnkiwi]

Bruised ribs from landing on my handlebar put me out for about a month, the next time I rode I was sooooo slow. My mate cracked some ribs in October, I think they hurt like hell for the first 6weeks to 2 months. The x-ray didn't really pick up on the cracks, but they were there as the doctor admitted on the second viewing. Hope you get better soon mate. Don't ride if they really hurt after the ride, you are just prolonging the healing time by damaging the injured area again. If you need to stay fit just do some slow road rides, no hopping curbs and getting carried away . Take care

[Rainman]

I've had broken ribs several times ... from racing, windsurfing, biking and climbing...


It sux.

Getting upright from a prone position on your bed is the worst, imo. I had a length of climbing rope attached to the foot of my bed to help me sit up last time I broke three ribs.

I used to have to slowly pull myself into a sitting position whilst trying not to yell with the pain from the broken bits...

Broken ribs are the pits!

A good chiro can set them back in place so that they don't hurt quite as much, but one wrong move and they 'pop' out again..

My wife fell while walking the dog recently and landed with her fist against her upper chest, which probably cracked a rib. She is in extreme pain from it.

Time is about the only thing that makes you come good again.


R.

[simplton]

I had the smack-down by the hand of gawd. Landed chest 1st on a root jutting from the ground. I knew immediately something didn't feel right. Cut my ride short and went back to the car. Three days later went to the doc. X-rays didn't reveal anything to him so he said he'd have the radiologist look and call me if something looked broken. I felt the pain for about two and a half months. Three weeks ago I broke my collar bone. When I went to see the orthopedic surgeon before my surgery he says, "I see you've just had three broken ribs. Are they still bothering you?" I'm like, "huh?". So yeah, the radiologist never called me to tell me about my busted ribs but I knew in my mind they were fubar. Oh well. Ribs feel fine now, just waiting for my shoulder to heal up.

later,
simp


p.s. Endos suck.

[blackjack]

Had my first ride yesterday, a full month after busting up my chest.
The actual pain from the injury went away about a week ago, but with Christmas and all, I stayed off the bike until then.

I'm glad I did at the end of the day, as I didn't have any physical problems from the injury.
I was very cautious however. Felt pretty good though.
Dragging the extra kilos up the climbs however, was a different matter.

Time heals. Let the body do it's thing. I'm sure the pain is telling you something.
Good luck.

[BelaySlave]

I had a bad crash at Tamarack on Labor Day. Long story short...nothing broken, but definately bruised. That first week or so sucked cuz it hurt so bad. The first couple of times back on the saddle the ribs hurt. And to this day...I still have soreness in my right ribcage when doing certain things.

It just takes time.

Nick

[muddywings]

yeah, got me some cracked ribs. Stalled out going up a nice techy section and couldn't unclip one side (the side I ended up falling on). Put my hand out to stop the fall as I was going down and backwards and as soon as my hand hit the rock I was headed for, it just slipped right off without slowing me down a bit. BAMM. OUCH! Everything got bright and cold and then didn't feel so good in the ole tummy! Finally after slowing my breathing I got up and biked the last 1/2 mile.
Didn't hurt to much till I went to bed, now I dread sleeping! Oh well, a few weeks out I guess. Any good suggestions besides motrin and ice?

[ZoSoSwiM]

Just bruised my lower right side ribs a little.
Sunday: long steep smooth downhill. Nothing to worry about. EXCEPT a large bump, basically a kicker at the bottom. I attempted to suck it up and roll the jump and not get lots of air because of the coming corner. My back wheel rises up and I try to shift backwards. My shorts caught the seat and I nose manualed for maybe 10 feet. My shorts slip free and my seat rises up and slams me in the ribs. I'm still clipped in and sitting behind my back tire on the ground.


It doesn't hurt much doing regular activities or even riding for that matter. Coughing, sneezing, and blowing my nose hurt though. Oddly enough it feels more like an Ab injury than my ribs, but I've never hurt my ribs before.

(Note: I have no outward signs of injury.. which sucks... bruising at least would show me the spot I hit..)

I feel everyones pain on this one!

[micky]

I bruised mine when a trail I was on (next to a creek) literally collapsed and I fell about 6 feet onto rocks. At the time, I was training for an xterra triathlon. It took about 3 or 4 weeks before I could ride again.

What was weird was, the more technical the ride, the easier it was on me, probably because I had to get of my seat a lot. I was able to do mtbike rides comfortable before I could do roa rides, runs or even swimming. Go figure.

It is real important that you stay healthy. If you get a cough or sneeze a lot with bruised ribs, you may literally start crying from the pain.

[mtbchik]

Yeah, I'm there rehabbing now. I have become the master of the silent sneeze!

At least you guys don't have to deal with wearing a Bra! Happy for little ones at the moment.

Broken Ribs

[Nocturnus]

I brused my ribs 2x in one year (same side) and once time was during my allergy season, so i was in all kinds of paint form coughing and sneezing.. It sucked big time.

[TrekJeff]

Just coming out of a bad deep bruise from about two weeks ago. Endoed and landed on the handle bar end, the other end when into the turf about two inches. Hurt like a MFker. Laughing, sneezing, deep breaths, picking anything over 10 pounds up....just plain h ell. Not much could be done other than taking good old vitamin Motrin. Things are hardly tender, although when I was healing and still commuting I would one hand it most of the way, putting any pressure on that side was..well I've mentioned that already

[Bushman71]

You guys ROCK ...My buddies are calling me crazy..I thought I was the only die hard mountain biker..at least around here. 4 wks ago I fractured my right ankle downhill riding Collingwood Ont. Just 2 dayz ago I was riding a fire lane close to Ellicotville NY when I took a header over the bars and either bruised or broke the ribs on my right side.. Hurts like H E L L... Thank the docs they gave my lots of pain killerz for the ankle... So once again I'm down for the count for at least a week away.. Till the next accident.. GET R DONE!!!

[MightyTurtle]

Funny, I was just gonna come here and ask about bruised ribs, because it happened to me today. Was out doing recon laps for a race this weekend, just riding a nice, casual pace. Afterward I decided to hammer some singletrack. Exited a corner too wide and wrapped myself around a tree.

I was about two miles from the trailhead and pedaled back in at about 5 mph. Completely excruciating. Worse, I had a 30-mile drive home and because my car is a 5-speed and I hit on my right side, every time I went to shift it felt like I was being stabbed.

Took myself to the ER and the X-rays didn't show any breaks or cracks, so I guess that's good. But, man, that's some serious pain.

I was somewhat hopeful that since my ribs were only bruised and not broken, I'd be able to do the race this weekend, but judging from others' experiences, maybe it's not such a good idea. I guess time will tell.