Symptoms of rib contusion
At about 80%, there are initially no external signs of injury that would indicate a rib contusion. Often, redness and swelling do not appear until later. Bruises (haematomas) also often form only after a few hours.
The pain of a rib contusion is often as severe as that of a broken rib. The affected area can be painful even with a light touch. In addition, pain can also occur when breathing, coughing, sneezing and certain movements. This can lead to a relieving posture and breathing in gently. The pain can last for weeks, sometimes even several months, requiring treatment.
Causes
In most cases, a rib contusion is caused by blunt trauma, for example falls during sports activities such as skiing or snowboarding. However, another possible cause of rib contusion can be an increased, severe cough. Severe coughing leads to enormous pressure, especially in the pars sternalis area (breast-rib area) of the chest.
In addition, the cartilage between the inner ribs and the sternum (costochondral junction) is also subjected to excessive stress. Patients suffering from whooping cough, pneumonia or bronchitis are particularly at risk of bruised ribs due to the long, frequent coughing. The rib contusion caused by coughing can be very problematic.
On the one hand, patients who feel pain in the chest area as a result of a respiratory tract infection usually go to a doctor late (after a trauma this happens much earlier). On the other hand, many physicians assume that the muscles and diaphragm are overloaded in the presence of pain symptoms in the course of a respiratory tract infection. For this reason, the diagnosis “rib bruising” is often made very late or not at all.In addition, the treatment of a rib contusion caused by coughing is also very difficult. A real immobilization cannot be guaranteed in such cases, namely in case of persistent coughing.
Prophylaxis of a rib bruise
A general recommendation for prophylaxis, which can prevent rib bruising, can only be given with difficulty. Especially during contact sports, rib bruises occur relatively frequently. In this case protectors can help to prevent the injury. Contusions caused by a severe cough can be prevented by prophylactically taking cough-relieving medication. Further information on this topic can be found under:
- Rib contusion treatment
- Rib bruising pain
- Broken or bruised ribs
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