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A member asked:
My chest has been sore for a few weeks. i believe it's a minor cracked rib or pulled muscle. ?
3 doctors weighed in across 2 answers
Doesn't matter: Whether a rib is broken or bruised is not a particularly meaningful distinction- both are quite painful and the pain lasts for weeks. An easy way to tell the difference, is to compress the chest wall (place hands away from the area of soreness). When you compress the chest wall, if pain is felt at the area of soreness, the rib is likely cracked (bruises only hurt when you press directly on them).
Answered 8/2/2018
6.3k views
Chest wall soreness: Are you short of breath? If not, it is not an emergency. Muscle pulls may take up to 6 weeks to feel better and this is about the same amount of time for a rib fracture to heal. If you are still limited by pain after 6 weeks, see your doc.
Answered 8/25/2018
4.9k views
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