I’m experiencing some discomfort when I breathe deeply, and I can’t figure out why. Tonight, Meg and I went to visit some friends of ours for dinner and shopping in Charlottesville. (Well, Meg went shopping and I enjoyed a tall, frosty beverage). As we were saying goodbye to our friends in the parking lot of the bar we had patronized, I started to feel a dull pain from what felt like under the lower part of my ribs on my right side. I had just gorged myself on some delicious food from Lord Hardwick’s (I highly recommend eating there if you’re in the area), so I figured it was something to do with how stuffed I was, and that it would subside later in the evening. It still hasn’t.
To me, it feels like I’ve bruised something inside, and when I breathe deeply enough, there’s pressure on whatever is sore which causes the pain. I’ve had a fairly good track record at diagnosing my injuries throughout my life, but I just can’t pinpoint what this could be. I’m going to sleep on it, and hopefully things will feel better in the morning. Google wasn’t very helpful (though I’m not even sure how to describe my symptoms), so I may end up having to consult a doctor if things don’t get better. Is it possible to bruise something on the inside without taking a direct hit on the outside? Maybe a killer sneeze?
July 16th, 2006 at 11:04 am
Hi had a surfing accident yesterday and i fell into the side of the board. On my ribs. I too have been in excruciating pain. Vicodin seems to dull the pain a bit. Ice is also helping. Brutal. It’s been 24 hours and i must say if anything the pain is worse.
July 11th, 2006 at 10:48 pm
Hi everyone !
Tomorrow will be 2 full weeks since I bruised my ribs. I can finally say that I’m seeing improvement. Sleeping is still hell…first finding a position and then trying to roll over….excruciating !!! and I still can’t bend or reach without moaning. However, today I didn’t have the constant pain with breathing and was able to take deeper breaths and I even coughed without screaming. That horrible feeling that something is poking you seems to be gone !!! I’m hoping that this is the beginning of recovery !!!
Wishing you all good luck and a speedy recovery.
July 11th, 2006 at 6:49 pm
I looked up Stopain, its active ingredient is Menthol which is the same as in Bengay and icy hot which are cheaper in bulk from costco/sam’s or generic store brand.
July 11th, 2006 at 6:31 pm
Sue, why the hell did the doc not want to take X rays the first time? Thats infuriating and inexcusable. All of you people’s tales are awful, my deepest sympathy to you. I stumbled across this blog on google after mysteriously bruising my rib a few days ago and I have NO f**king idea how! I have an active lifestyle but no impact to the chest. I have no bruises.
It just hurts bad in one spot, only hurts if I take a very deep breath, did hurt to swim. Didnt hurt to bike ride. I’ll try lifting weights tonight and see what I can handle.
From everything I’ve researched this is an injury that medical science can’t do anything for but drug. IMO Naproxen doesnt do anything even in megadoses. The cold packs are helping. I’m going to look for the spray Stopain. I’m guessing it has a topical anestheisic like Lidocaine?
July 10th, 2006 at 9:53 pm
Same thing but mine was caused by a nasty bike accident — me and the big rock on the edge of the trail. I landed on my left side and head - broke my bike helmet saving my head, but my ribs are causing all the pain described in this thread. I had a head scan, chest xray and ultrasound of my abdomen. No broken bones or damaged organs. My upper left arm is totally purple, but my ribs show no color — just the pains described in this thread. So, will wait the extra time you all mention above and start some exercise. Walking 20 minutes today was a real challenge. I remembered, and actually had to use, the “use your legs not your back” technique to pick up anything from the floor!
July 10th, 2006 at 6:16 pm
I agree with all the above. I fell yesterday and I am experiencing the pain of bruised ribs. Tramadol has done nothing for me either so I guess he will just take time. As we all know there is no treatment available. If anyone has any suggestions I would like to hear them.
July 9th, 2006 at 3:01 am
I had a waterski accident and was yanked down onto the water on my right side then back while still attached to the rope at 32 mph - I couldn’t breathe and was so mad I went again and got up through the pain, made 6 passes and had to drop. I went in to the hospital two hours later only to be told they no longer believe in taking xrays nor do they wrap the ribs (that is old school) I was given a shot to stop the muscle spasams, given 10 mg tablets of Cyclobenzaprin (1 tab 3x daily for muscle spasms, Naproxen 500 mg tab (t tab 2x daily with food) and Percocet 5-325 mg - 1 tab every 6 hours for pain.
I had to sleep in a sitting-up position for about 10 days. I had a bilateral mastecomy in March and that pain was nothing compared to the rib pain from the waterski accident. The words that could be used are excruciatingly and horrible. It is in my lower right rib cage and in the lower ribs in my back. It felt like a broken popsicle stick was poking in my chest. I finally went to a Dr. and told him I wanted an x-ray. Turns out no bones were broken but I had inflamation in the cartildge (my colarbone and ribs now go clunk clunk). The Dr. said torn cartlidge or bruised ribs are much more painful than an actual broken bone and the only thing that would heal it is time. The clunking is from the inflamation as the bone isn’t working smoothly in the socket due to the inflamation.
However, I now have a fairly good range of motion and will try to start with weight lifting small amounts at a time. The suggestion that exercise will heal you and help you from having arthritis set in sounded good to me so that will be my action plan. I take a hot tub at night which really helps and I also put on the pain patches you can buy at drugstores and change them regularly. Found a OTC spray called Stopain and also use OTC Unisom sleepgels at night. I’m totally impatient with this but feel after two weeks I am starting on the road to recovery. I don’t just jump off the couch - I have to roll to one side and slowly get up. the hospital said I would probably be skiing again in 2 weeks. Who are they kidding?
July 8th, 2006 at 5:22 am
I hate to say this, but I’m glad I’m not the only one whom is suffering from bruised ribs. Before I stumbled on this blog, I was ready to go back to the hospital and ask “what the hell is wrong with me?”
I took a bad fall on my left side a week ago friday, and the pain only seems to be getting worst. Doctors said nothing was broken, just a bad bruise. The really strange part is.. the pain seems to be on the move. It started out behind my left breast, (pain level 6) then moved through to my side and into my back. (pain level now a 10) And today, the pain is consuming my entire left side. Taking a deep breath is almost more than I can bare.
Even everyday simple tasks like getting dressed takes a well thought out plan. Pain medication Tramadol has done NOTHING, except caused me to be sleepy, dizzy and have nausea. A simple aspirin seems to give more relief. I start a new job on monday. Now I’m hoping for a miracle.
July 5th, 2006 at 10:46 pm
I fell on the first night of my Bahama vacation…didn’t get my hand down in time to break the fall and landed on my left side. You guys have perfectly described the pain I’m feeling..it’s excruciating. I waited until I got home (5 days later ) to get an Xray….no breaks, only bruising. I’ve been taking Advil, but sleeping is extremely difficult. They gave me a prescription for VIcadin, but I’m afraid that it will make me nauseas. I can’t even imagine having to get sick.
It’s now been a full week with no improvement at all. My family has no sympathy and can’t understand how I could have such pain with no broken bones. Thanks for letting me vent.
June 19th, 2006 at 4:36 pm
I fell on the 10th of June. 9 DAYS LATER the discomfort from bruised ribs is no better. My sleep is diturbed as I cant roll over easily. Getting up is really difficult, simple things like BREATHING have become momentarily very exhausting. Work has been really awkward. No treatment, just ibuprofen. Boy oh boy these bruised ribs are really uncomfortable. It happened during a booze induced lads n dads game of footie after the England Paraguay match. Hence I have had little sympathy from my better half, just sinister chuckles!! I should ave known better n all that…..
I swear I can sense movement in there at times. And sneezing, well it feels like your blowing a hole in your rib cage. You really have to brace yourself. OUCH!