Therapeutic measures in the case of a chest contusion | Chest contusion

Therapeutic measures in the case of a chest contusion

Pain therapy is the most important pillar of the therapy, since a chest contusion usually heals by itself in due course without invasive surgery and thus a purely symptomatic treatment is sufficient. If, in the acute stage of the injury, the pain is too great for the patient to stand upright and thus allow the lungs to unfold completely, it may be necessary to supply oxygen through the nose to ensure breathing. Various pain-relieving drugs are available for further treatment.

The pain should be reduced to such an extent that the patient does not have to breathe and maintain a relaxed posture and the lungs can unfold properly at all times. Physiotherapeutic exercises can also be helpful. Instructions for self-therapy with breathing exercises are also given here. If, in spite of adequate pain therapy, the patient is able to breathe freely and gently, an antibiotic can be prescribed to prevent pneumonia. .

Sport for a chest contusion

After a thoracic contusion, sport should be avoided until the patient is free of symptoms. In the acute phase, increased physical activity is hardly possible anyway due to the respiration-dependent pain and can even lead to circulatory collapse due to oxygen deficiency because of pain-induced shallow breathing. Even later, in the recovery phase, physical activity should be limited in order to support the healing process. Training that is resumed too early can lead to an intensification of the pain symptoms as well as to an extension of the time needed to restore complete freedom from pain under resting conditions. Return to exercise should be slow and must be limited according to clinical signs (pain, shortness of breath).

Diagnostics

The diagnosis of a chest contusion depends on the patient’s condition and medical history. The chest should be routinely palpated. If the injury has caused bone fractures in the area of the ribcage, this may be palpated or a crackling sound may be heard.

It is also important to listen to the lungs and heart with a stethoscope in order to rule out injuries to the organs. Further examinations may be necessary to rule out other, possibly worse diagnoses. In order to reliably rule out a fracture of a bony structure, such as the ribs, the doctor can order an X-ray of the chest (med.

X-ray thorax). The X-ray can also be helpful to get an overview of the ventilation of the lungs. A computer tomography can be helpful to simultaneously examine all organs in the thorax. In some cases, however, an ECG may be sufficient to rule out injuries to the heart and heart rhythm. If all other possible diseases are excluded, the doctor will diagnose a burst cage contusion on the basis of the clinical symptoms.