Question 1

how much longer for my t11 fractured rib to heal?  it has been almost 2.5 years and i don't know how to speed this up. x-ray showed healing normally.

Accepted Answer

Fractured rib: How did that happen?
It should not take 2.5 years to heal a rib fracture. You need to have your doctor be more specific and find a specialist to speed up the repair of your fracture.

Question 2

do rib fractures heal by themselves or not?

Accepted Answer

Yes: Only the extremely rare fractures that involve multiple segments of the same rib or adjacent ribs need surgical repair.  Even many of these will heal by themselves.

Question 3

how long does it take for fractured ribs to heal? are there any huge risks of walking around with broken ribs?

Accepted Answer

Broken : Broken bones take anywhere from 6 weeks to 6 months to heal. Broken ribs will usually heal by about 3 months after the injury. The biggest risk of rib fractures is that they are painful, and as a result, tend to make you breathe more shallowly. By failing to fully inflate your lungs as you normally would, you can be at risk for pneumonia. Depending on how healthy you are, pneumonia can be a very serious and even life threatening complication. Furthermore, if you have injured yourself and think you may have broken ribs, you should seek immediate medical attention. The amount of force necessary to break a rib can also bruise or lacerate the lung, or even injure other internal organs. While the rib fracture itself may not be serious, the other associated injuries can be very serious.

Question 4

i have my own construction company and i fractured 2 ribs   is it ok to walk around and delegate and will it make me heal slower?

Accepted Answer

: the answer would depend on whether your rib fractures are displaced which means are the ribs in two pieces allowing them to move or are the fractures not completely through the rib and therefore unable to move. If it is the former, a simple fall might cause the rib to puncture the lung my recommendation would be NOT to return. The other type fracture is more stable and it would be fine to return.

Question 5

is it possible for a fractured rib not to heal after a year?

Accepted Answer

Definitely: If a fracture doesn't heal, it is called a nonunion.  For this injury, i typically obtain a plain xray first to evaluate, but more than likely,  a ct scan is needed to look for the nonunion (and any other injuries).  

If the nonunion is painful, you may benefit from surgery.  There are several centers across the us that perform this type of surgery, but not many.

Question 6

can i do cardio exercise while my rib fractures heal?

Accepted Answer

Cardio as tolerated: Rib fractures can cause breathing-related pain until the fracture ends start to heal and stick together. This usually occurs after several weeks. You can use pain as your guide and advance with activities (cardio) as tolerated.

Question 7

how long will it take 3 posterior rib fractures to heal?

Accepted Answer

Weeks: symptons will resolve in 2-6 weeks with complete healing from 6 weeks to 3 months

Question 8

can broken, bruised or fractured ribs take up to a year to heal?

Accepted Answer

: Unusual, but the pain may be a residual muscle spasm. Good Luck

Question 9

posterior fractures of my 2 3 and 4th ribs. what can i do to heal?

Accepted Answer

Rib fractures: Time. It takes about 6 weeks for fractures to heal. Adequate pain control while still painful is important to adequately take deep breaths. Then majority of the pain should subside in 2-3 weeks.

Question 10

how long does it take to heal a slight fracture of the rib?

Accepted Answer

Pain is   worse : For a few days, followed by 6-8 weeks for healing. After a few days the worst pain usually is gone and it just aches with deep breathing and certain motions and many dont need pan meds. It is important to make sure you are getting a good deep breath and dont develop other issue and to determine the cause or  quality of the break with xrays .....Just dont assume.

Get Virtual Care

For Businesses

About Us

HealthTap Online Primary Care Doctors Accepting New Patients

Doctor answers about:

Fractured ribs how long to heal

A member asked:

How much longer for my t11 fractured rib to heal? it has been almost 2.5 years and i don't know how to speed this up. x-ray showed healing normally.

A member asked:

Do rib fractures heal by themselves or not?

A member asked:

How long does it take for fractured ribs to heal? are there any huge risks of walking around with broken ribs?

A member asked:

I have my own construction company and i fractured 2 ribs is it ok to walk around and delegate and will it make me heal slower?

A member asked:

Is it possible for a fractured rib not to heal after a year?

A member asked:

Can i do cardio exercise while my rib fractures heal?

A member asked:

How long will it take 3 posterior rib fractures to heal?

A member asked:

Can broken, bruised or fractured ribs take up to a year to heal?

A member asked:

Posterior fractures of my 2 3 and 4th ribs. what can i do to heal?

A member asked:

How long does it take to heal a slight fracture of the rib?

Sponsored Content

HealthTap Online Primary Care Doctors Accepting New Patients

Telemedicine

Primary Care

Manage Your Conditions

Women's Health

Children's Health

Men's Health

Senior Health

Wellness, Prevention & Lifestyle

Sexual Health

Mental & Behavioral Health

Travel Medicine

Urgent Care

Didn't find what you're looking for?

More of what we treat

Allergies

Antibiotics

Asthma

High Blood Pressure

Prescriptions

Type 2 Diabetes

For Businesses

Company

Health Content

Join Us

Download HealthTap

Questions?