Fracture of the ribs: symptoms and treatment

One of the most common injuries of the sternum is the fracture of the ribs. Symptoms and treatment of this trauma will be discussed in this article. It accounts for about sixteen percent of the total number of all types of injuries. Especially often fracture of ribs occurs among older people, less often in children and adolescents. The given statistics are conditioned by the fact that in the latter the thorax is characterized by increased elasticity. Therefore, even a fairly strong compression is not capable of leading to any trauma to the sternum.

Fracture of the ribs: symptoms of open injury

It is not difficult to diagnose such fractures: the broken bone or its fragments penetrate to the surface through the wound canal, which in itself is dangerous, as it is fraught with abscesses and infection, in addition, there is a risk of losing large amounts of blood. Treatment of such fractures at home is practically impracticable, as it requires careful diagnosis and participation of highly qualified specialists.

Fracture of ribs: symptoms of closed sternum damage

Trauma to the closed type is diagnosed when the soft tissues and skin of the sternum have no damage. Such fractures are dangerous first of all in that sometimes they can be confused with so-called secondarily open lesions, when the broken bone does not come to the surface, but damages the soft tissues of the internal organs. These injuries account for about 20% of cases.

Now let's take a closer look at the symptoms directly, which will help to diagnose fracture of the ribs. Symptoms of trauma in many respects will depend on its localization:

• With direct and lateral fractures, the victim's breathing becomes frequent and superficial, often fractures of the ribs cause stagnant processes in the lungs, resulting in the development of posttraumatic pneumonia.
• Swelling and swelling at the site of the proposed fracture.
• Pain in the chest, increasing with exhalation and inspiration, is typical for most cases of such injuries.
• It is enough simply to diagnose a posterior fracture of the ribs, the symptoms of which differ slightly from the anterior and lateral types. Firstly, it is rarely accompanied by respiratory disorders, and secondly, it is only for the patient with such trauma to take a horizontal position, as the pain subsides.
• Oral bleeding caused by trauma in the chest.

Rib fracture: treatment

At home, it is possible to treat only simple fractures, that is, when isolated fractures of one or both of the ribs do not cause internal bleeding. Patient prescribed sparing regimen and complete rest, and the ribs themselves are fixed by a pressure bandage. In the case of a complicated fracture of one or more ribs, the patient is subject to prompt hospitalization. The degree of complexity of the fracture is determined diagnostically with the help of a chest x-ray, and a full investigation of the internal organs of the affected area is also prescribed by the doctor.