Rib Fracture Essay

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Fractured Rib
A rib fracture (broken rib) is common in contact sports and usually occurs when you have hard impact to the chest such as an elbow or a fist. A rib fracture is a crack or break in one of the bones of the rib cage.
Causes of injury:
Trauma: A direct blow to the chest may cause a rib fracture. For example being elbowed in the ribs or punched during a contact sport.
Stress: Stress fractures happen when the muscles attached to your ribs are used often. These fractures are usually small and heal with rest but may worsen if you continue to use the muscles. Rib stress fractures are most common in people who play sports, such as baseball pitching, basketball, and rowing.
Methods of preventing the injury:
A broken rib can be an annoying injury, because there just isn't a lot that you can to prevent the injury as most sports have rules to stop serious injuries like this to happen. For example the umpire in football is the only person who can prevent this injury from happening.
But for people who suffer from osteoporosis the only way to prevent this injury from happening is to take calcium tablets or drink lots of milk. Because your bones are so weak there isn’t much you can do.
Treatment:
However, there are a few ways to help ease the pain or prevent further complications with a fractured rib.
Rest: is the main thing you can do for a mild fracture.
Avoid activities that may cause more pain or damage to your ribs. As your pain decreases, begin movements slowly.
Medicines: to relieve pain from the injury
Physical therapy: You may need to see a physical therapist to teach you special exercises. These exercises help improve movement and decrease pain. Physical therapy can also help improve strength and decrease your risk for loss of function.
More severe treatment
Lung aids: you may need a spirometer. A spirometer is a small tube that will help you with deep breathing.
You may do chest physiotherapy, which is light hand clapping on your back to help remove lung mucus.
Surgery: If many of your ribs are badly fractured, you may need surgery. Surgery is often needed for a severe fractured chest. Broken ribs may be held together with plates and screws. An injury to an organ, nerve, or blood vessel may also be treated with surgery.
Nature of the injury:
A rib fracture is a High impact injury because it happens when you suffer a hard one off impact to the chest area, Therefore it is a high impact injury.

Diagnosis (symptoms) of the injury:
Pain and swelling at a particular point in the ribs.
A lump that may be felt on your chest or bruising
Broken rib bone that has cut through your skin.
Chest pain that worsens when you breathe.
Chest tenderness (pain when touched).
A change in the shape of your chest.
Trouble breathing or trouble taking deep breaths.
If it’s a complicated fracture it may puncher a lung this may cause you too:
Cough up blood from the lung puncture
Feel extreme pain when breathing, coughing or sneezing.

Emergency treatment:
Depends on type & location of fracture
For open fractures ( if bone sticks outside of the body)
Control bleeding before treatment
Rinse and dress the wound
For closed fractures
Check the breathing
Calm the person
Examine for other injuries
Apply ice to reduce pain / swelling
Consult a doctor /
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