Symptoms of rib fractures

Rib fracture is a very common fracture, so we must protect our ribs. We know that children's ribs are relatively soft, so rib fractures are not easy to occur. However, adults, especially the elderly, are very prone to rib fractures. Rib fractures bring many inconveniences to our body, so we must do a good job of preventing rib fractures.

The symptoms of rib fractures are also something we must know and understand, because rib fractures are easy to occur, so if we know the symptoms of rib fractures, we can immediately detect them once they occur.

Occasionally, due to severe coughing or sneezing, the chest muscles suddenly contract and cause rib fractures, which are called spontaneous rib fractures. They mostly occur in the 6th to 9th ribs in the axillary area. When the ribs themselves have lesions, such as primary tumors or metastatic tumors, rib fractures may also occur with very light external force or no external force. This is called pathological rib fractures.

Rib fractures mostly occur at the 4th to 7th ribs; the 1st to 3rd ribs are protected by the clavicle, scapula and shoulder girdle muscles and are not easily fractured; the 8th to 10th ribs gradually become shorter and are connected to the cartilage costal arch, which has elastic cushioning and reduces the chance of fracture; the 11th and 12th ribs are floating ribs with a greater range of motion and rarely fracture, but when the force is strong, these ribs may fracture.

A fracture of only one rib is called a single rib fracture, and fractures of two or more ribs are called multiple rib fractures. Rib fractures can occur on both sides of the chest at the same time. A fracture in only one place on each rib is called a single fracture, and a fracture in two or more places is called a double or multiple fracture. Sequential fractures of multiple ribs or multiple rib fractures combined with epiphyseal detachment of multiple costal cartilages or fractures of multiple costal cartilages on both sides or epiphyseal detachment will cause chest wall softening, which is called a floating chest wall injury, also known as flail chest.

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Rib fractures without associated injuries are called simple rib fractures. In addition to pleural and lung injuries and the hemothorax or (and) pneumothorax caused by them, they are often accompanied by other chest injuries or injuries outside the chest. Special attention should be paid during diagnosis. Fractures of the first or second rib are often accompanied by clavicle or scapula fractures, and may be accompanied by injuries to intrathoracic organs and large blood vessels, bronchial or tracheal ruptures, or cardiac contusion, and are often accompanied by craniocerebral injuries. Lower chest rib fractures may be accompanied by injuries to abdominal organs, especially rupture of the liver, spleen and kidneys. Attention should also be paid to combined spinal and pelvic fractures. However, when the ribs below the seventh rib are fractured, the intercostal nerves at the fracture site are stimulated, resulting in conductive abdominal pain, which should be distinguished from the localized abdominal pain caused by abdominal organ injury.

Above we introduced what rib fractures are. We know that rib fractures are a common type of fracture. Rib fractures cause serious physical injuries to patients and affect their work and life. The above article introduces the symptoms of rib fractures in detail. I hope the above introduction can help everyone.