You have suffered an injury to your chest, which may have caused bruising to your ribs and chest wall muscles. It is also in some cases possible that you have broken some ribs.
A chest x-ray is not always needed, as broken ribs do not always show up on an x-ray. You will be treated in the same way whether your ribs are broken or not. The pain from this type of injury will be worse when you take a deep breath, cough or move.
Deep breathing might make the pain worse, but it’s important that you do regular breathing exercises. These will reduce your risk of you developing a chest infection.
To do breathing exercises you should:
It may help to support the injured area with your hand while you do this. You should do these exercises for up to 5 minutes every hour. It’s also important that you cough up any phlegm (sputum) that develops. Again it may help if you support the injured area with your hand while coughing.
If you smoke, you should try to stop. Smoking will add to the phlegm produced by your lungs and increase the chances of you getting a chest infection.
If you develop any of the following symptoms:
You should contact or return to the Emergency Department or visit your GP.
If you have any ongoing concerns or queries about your chest injury you should contact NHS 111 or your local GP. If your concern is urgent or an emergency, attend your local Emergency Department.
Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is a smoke-free organisation. You are not permitted to smoke or in use e-cigarettes in any of the hospital buildings or grounds.
