Introduction – Symptoms of rib fracture
A rib fracture is without question associated with very severe pain. For this reason, a rib fracture is not to be missed at all and should be taken very seriously in any case, since vital organs such as the lungs and the heart are located in the area of the ribs. Without the protection of the ribs, these structures are also exposed to a very high risk.
You will learn the most important symptoms so that you can act as quickly as possible in the event of a possible rib fracture, in the following article. In the case of a rib fracture, the main focus is on the severe pain. These are repeatedly intensified by the movements of the rib cage during breathing.
Deep inhalation or a cough increase the pain massively. Because of the severe pain, the affected person often seeks a position in which the pain is particularly slight. Similar symptoms are also seen in the case of a rib contusion.
Breathing is also significantly restricted, the patient breathes shallowly. In this situation, the patient often finds himself in a dichotomy between severe pain and the drive to breathe. If a patient then breathes significantly too little, the oxygen content in the blood can become too low.
This becomes visible by a blue coloration (cyanosis) of the lips, fingers and toes. The broken ribs can thus lead to a kind of breathing difficulty. Fractures at the front of the chest often restrict the breathing work much more than fractures at the side.
These symptoms occur in all forms of rib fracture, even if only a single rib is broken. If several ribs are broken (serial rib fracture = at least three broken ribs), paradoxical breathing may occur. In this case, the thorax is pulled inwards during inhalation due to the fractured bones and bulges outwards during exhalation: in other words, in complete contrast to the normal breathing movement.
As already mentioned, a rib fracture can occur in different forms. A single rib can be affected once or in several places, or several ribs can be affected simultaneously. With the help of the following illustration, you can also visualize the different types of rib fractures.
