First aid and treatment at home after fracture of the rib

Periodically, people tend to find themselves in a non-standard setting, the consequences of which are injuries.

Often among the total number of lesions, rib fracture is diagnosed.

Aggravating factors

Situations that can provoke an edge fracture are as follows:

1. As a result of a vehicle accident : sudden braking with a subsequent impact on the steering wheel or sudden forward movement of the passenger's head. When a pedestrian collides with a car, the likelihood of getting a broken rib is also high.
2. Blow into the chest area with a blunt .It can be a stone, a pipe or a fist during a fight. The outcome of such actions is quite predictable.
3. Falls from height to hard surface .The consequences depend on many factors, ranging from the age category of the
   insta story viewer
   patient to the level of the height with which it fell and the degree of rigidity of the surface.
4. Training or sports competition , when unintentional collisions, falls and other troubles occur.
5. A person is sandwiched between two objects, one of which is static and the other moves.

In addition to force majeure, the presence of osteoporosis or bone cancer increases the risk of a fracture in the patient's ribs.

It can be located from the lateral surface of the thoracic region, in places with large bends. Sometimes there is a displacement of fragments of ribs.

Trauma markers

The main symptoms of fracture of the ribs are as follows:

• significant pain when inhaling, with rib bruises such a symptom is absent;
• increased pain during movement or coughing;
• when inhaled, crunching or clicking;
• bruising or swelling of soft tissues.

If the fracture is located in the back of the chest, the symptoms are less pronounced due to the weak mobility of the fragments during respiration.

First Aid Assistance

Initially, anesthesia should be taken care of. All actions after the injury lie in two planes:

• first - to help the victim take a comfortable position;
• the second - to apply medicines of analgesic action with the purpose to remove an inflammation and to stop pain.

The next step is to fix the chest. In the absence of a dressing material, improvised means are used in the form of towels or clothes.

The procedure is performed in the deep inspiration position. It should be done as soon as possible in order to avoid additional damage to the fragments of the bones of the body tissues. It is recommended that pads prepared from gauze and cotton wool be applied to the suspected fracture sites.

After anesthesia and fixation, it is required to transport the victim to a medical facility, be in a sitting or half-sitting position during the movement.

After a preliminary examination, if necessary, the doctor may apply an additional dose of pain medication.

In what cases is self-treatment possible

Obligatory action to help establish an accurate diagnosis is an x-ray, less often a trauma doctor may resort to CT services.

This helps to establish the exact location of the damage and the existence or absence of complications. Based on the results of the research, the medical worker decides on the need for taking a pleural puncture.

If one or two ribs have undergone a fracture, it is only in 10 cases out of 100 that the internal organs are damaged.

Injuries of this kind are considered to be light, not dangerous for the normal functioning of the body and allow treatment and recovery after fracture of the rib in the home.

Objectives of treatment

Being on outpatient treatment, regular visits to a medical institution are not excluded.

Follow-up with a specialist is necessary to monitor the recovery process. After a short time after the injury, a chest radiograph can be scheduled to check for hemothorax.

The probability of its occurrence is due to the possibility of accumulation in the thoracic cavity of the blood. It is also necessary to exclude the variant of pneumothorax development - the process of air accumulation in the chest cavity.

If the lower ribs are damaged, for more accurate results of the examination, they will be asked to pass a urine test and assign an ultrasound of the kidneys.

Trauma on the left side can damage the spleen, so ultrasound examination of this organ will not be superfluous.

Depending on the degree of pain, the doctor can use intercostal medical blockades or prescribe a course of using analgesics.

A quick recovery is facilitated by physiotherapeutic procedures, therapeutic gymnastics, regular outflows to fresh air.

Applying oxygen inhalations and all kinds of expectorant syrups, the recovery period will be significantly reduced.

Features of treatment at home

Previously, often resorted to all sorts of fixing funds. In modern practice, this is avoided in order to reduce the risk of developing pneumonia.

It is advisable to organize a night rest on a flat surface in a position where the head part of the bed is elevated. If this is not possible, it will be sufficient to use a large pillow.

Being at home, it is desirable for the patient to exclude excessive activity. The lifestyle should be gentle, while dieting should be followed.

If a doctor is instructed to wear a bandage or a corset - do not get rid of them prematurely.

Regular admission of medicines and visits to designated procedures will facilitate the rapid growth of damaged areas and reduce the risk of developing side-effects.

Folk recipes

In addition to drug treatment, traditional medicine can be added.

In these cases, mummies or ointments are often used.

One of them contains 20 gr.spruce resin, 2 tbsp.spoons of onions, previously finely chopped, 15 gr.copper sulfate, 50 ml of olive oil.

Prepared ingredients are thoroughly mixed and heated. In connection with the burning properties of this recipe, rub it gently, in small doses.

On the video the story of a woman who received a fracture of the ribs, about how she was cured on her own at home:

It's worth remembering!

Within a few days after the rib fracture, there is a risk of complications. Most often this is expressed in the development of post-traumatic pneumonia.

The cause of its appearance are stagnant processes in the lungs as a result of lowering their level of ventilation. Symptoms can be expressed in the form of fever, intoxication, difficulty breathing and deterioration of the general condition.

Patients with a thoracic cage are fixed and bandaged with excessive zeal. Pain sensations in conjunction with stagnant processes in the lungs provoke the development of this complication.

The reaction of the body to the resulting injury can be occurrence of hemothorax and pneumothorax .A timely X-ray image will help to identify the problem and start treatment.

Therefore, you should not avoid prescribed appointments from a specialist, hoping for an early self-healing.

Recovery after injury

The length of the rehabilitation period directly depends on the severity of the injury received and the recommendations of the treating physician.

During the due period the patient is obliged to undergo the prescribed physiotherapeutic procedures, take expectorant and anesthetics, regularly go outdoors and perform respiratory gymnastics.

Separately, it is worth noting the importance of dieting. The diet should be saturated with products rich in calcium and promoting the growth of cartilage .

The list is quite extensive - it is cottage cheese and other sour-milk products, jelly and jelly, saucers and oriental dainties( marshmallow, pastilles, rahat-lukum).

The rich beef broth is another useful helper. In addition, you can take a complex of microelements and vitamins.

Once in an unpleasant situation and get damaged, do not expect to recover without the involvement of medicine. Timely appeal to a traumatologist will help to determine the severity of the injury, the possible consequences, and get qualified counseling about further treatment.

Observing the recommended regime, the process of recovery will pass without serious complications, and you will be able to return to the usual rhythm of life in a short time.