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?
August 9th, 2006 at 12:22 pm
two weeks ago broke 5 ribs-the pain has eased just slightly-however, the nights the excrutiating pain is back and sit up until 5am when i am exhausted and then i am able to get a couple of hours of sleep.
August 6th, 2006 at 12:41 pm
The internet is great, now I can complain through it, too. I bruised my ribs 4 days ago. Or at least I think I did, I don’t really know how I did it. It probably is from when I was moving massively heavy folding tables around at work. I’d have to say that the pain is only worse now than it was 4 days ago. Getting out of bed in the morning is torture. I walk around like I’m 80 years old, and picking things up off the floor is very painful. My dad’s a doctor; he said it’s probably a bruised rib. If it was broken, it wouldn’t make a difference anyway. What I find really annoying is the fun addition to my pain. Yesterday I noticed a sharp pain above my collarbone on one side whenever I breathed in. I asked my dad, and he said that an irritated diaphragm can cause pain in your collarbone. Crazy, isn’t it? I hope I feel better quickly, because it would not be fun to start school with this pain.
August 6th, 2006 at 10:43 am
Hi Matt,
I just read your message. Yesterday, we went to Oceanside Ca, to do some serious surfing. The waves were brutal and massive, my husband says they were at least 8 feet. Anyways, I had a surfing accident as well as you. I fell off the wave, and when I landed, my leash was wrapped around my ankle and I my face and my left side of my body hit my board. I rode in sliding on my back in the sand, and when I made it to shore, I could barely move. My eye is all brusied up and so is my ribs. It is way painful as you know. The best thing my Dr said is to rest, compresses, and some breathing techniques. Good luck brother……it will be okay.
August 4th, 2006 at 12:34 pm
I’ve been unable to take a deep breath or sneeze for about 4 days. I can’t think of anything that would have caused me to bruise my ribs but the pain is exactly as described by a lot of the people on this thread. I can touch and prod the area without discomfort, I have no bruising but have a nagging dull pain just below my left ribs.
Pain increases sharply when I take a deep breath, hiccup, try to sneeze….
It was good to read that other people have experienced similar symptoms - so I won’t waste time going to the doctor unless pain persists or worsens.
cheers from Vancouver BC
August 2nd, 2006 at 4:28 pm
Leigh, yours might or might not be a bruised rib.
I fell dancing on July 20th and landed on the sharply angled monitor. The big bruises I have never hurt but my side in the back did (like where you’d put your hand on your waist). Saturday morning it hurt so much that I went in for xrays and later that week they determined that I had after all broken a rib. At this point, I find a hot pad feels great at night and I like hot baths a lot too.
My pain has never moved around like yours has. It is in a very specific area. I do a slow stretching exercise bending at the waist with both arms forward and move my arms and upper body in a circular (clocklike) fashion. I note when my side hurts (maybe 10:00 sometimes) and ease off. I go in both directions. Some days I can go all the way around both ways. I guess I’m lucky it’s in the back because it doesn’t hurt when I breathe. Maybe pretty soon I can sleep on my side again, but not yet.
In my experience bruised bones can certainly hurt as much as broken ones. I try to avoid sudden movements and situations where I don’t control the movement (probably no dancing for a while, sigh). I find it a little taxing to play the clarinet which displeases me too. Ah well, hopefully this too shall pass.
Be patient with your wounded selves, fellow sufferers. When something hurts, I try to relax and be open to the healing energies of the universe. Its woo-woo, but makes me feel better.
July 31st, 2006 at 12:28 am
Ahh, that might be what’s wrong with me! Bruised ribs! I have this awful pain that comes and goes…it’s on my side and I can sometimes feel it in my collarbone and the back of my shoulder and even in my arm sometimes. I’ve had it on and off for the whole month of July - it tends to get really bad at night (pain just shoots through my whole right side to the point where I have cried out in pain trying to breathe or move) and sometimes it hits when I run or just when I am working on the computer. I don’t know how I got the injury - nothing happened to me - but I exercise a lot (running, aerobics classes, yoga, weight lifting), so i wonder if something happened during one of those activities.
July 27th, 2006 at 11:02 pm
Very helpful info…I seem to have bruised my ribs about a week ago but don’t have any dramatic accident and I don’t remeber falling. Just a pain on my right side, under my breast when I breath deeply…fortunately it doesn’t hurt when I bike ride, my favorite form of exercise…pain pills are all I am taking and probably won’t see a doctor unless pain gets worse in the coming weeks. Just found this site when I asked search for “will a chest xray show bruised ribs?” thanks
July 25th, 2006 at 2:22 pm
hi everyone……..
I was out on the weekend at a buddys house, drinking of course, and when we started horsing around. He went to take me down, i didnt realize how close i was to the edge of the deck when next thing i knew i was in mid air falling to the ground. 2 feet later I ended up falling flat onto my back with him landing on top of me and his shoulder landing flush onto my lower ribs. He tried to help me up but i was like plz leave me here for a sec cuz i swear i had broken my ribs. After about 10 min. of laying there i decided to get up, i was in so much pain that i couldnt bare it.
I ended up going to the hospital the next day to see if i had broken it, but the doctor said that i had only bruised it and that i should take painkillers and to keep icing it. I swear that today it hurts more than the previous couple, the pain has moved from my ribs to my neck and back, its almost unbearable. I have trouble sleeping, sitting, driving and coughing is totally out of the question! I hope that it starts getting better soon cuz i dont know how much more i can take. If anyone has had any luck with healing quicker than usual plz share cuz i would love to hear it. Thanx
July 17th, 2006 at 6:50 pm
It has been a month since I BROKE THREE RIBS. My first blog I thought that I had only bruised them. But I began seeing blood in my urine. That shook me up. I went to get them checked. They were broke, no wonder it felt like they were sticking me everytime I took a breath. And yes the pain does spread after a few day. The muscles that are guarding the wound get sore from protecting it. It had been a full month and I feel so much better. But I still have to take it easy for another month. DON’T ASSUME THAT THEY ARE JUST BRUISED…My skin wasn’t even bruised. Get checked to be sure that you don’t injure yourself worse than you already are. Pillows are a great help when sleeping. You can sleep on the injured side if you move very carefully. I’m told it is ok to do so. I’m a side sleeper, and have to change a lot throughout the night. Just remember that this too will pass. The best advice I can give is to just get though it the best way you know how, rest, pain meds, distractions help. Each day it gets a little easier. This is my second bout with my ribs. Don’t sneeze it hurts too much, so be sure and take that allergy medicine.
July 16th, 2006 at 2:26 pm
I can honestly say that i am feeling better, now knowing that im not the only one with this trecherous condition. I was horsin’ round with a friend and he threw me off his back, which left me flying into a lamppost. Matrix style. mf’in ouch! I almost cudnt breathe and my friend had to call an ambulance, luckily it turned out ok, well, not really okay cuz im hurtin like hell. I’ve actually come upon sum new-found rib-spect (hmmm) for my ribzies. Hope i heal within a weak, i wanna play tennis again!