I broke 11 ribs on my right side 11-5-23 and 2 surgeries with 6 plates later I’m still having issues in this long recovery 1-22-24. I’m aiming to return to work 1-28-24. This has been hell. I also dislocated my shoulder, punctured my lung, 4 chest tubes, 2 compressed vertebras. I’m hoping very much I make a full recovery and no more surgery! I was doing decent before my second surgery. Now I’m on the struggle bus!
i broke 3 ribs about 3 weeks ago and i and agree with the heal time and pain being subjective to each individual .... the first two weeks were hell but now im online looking around for exercises to help with the healing process
Wow you break 3 ribs 3 weeks ago so did I . I stepped into a hole where steps were and went straight into the cement porch and now I’m still healing I broke #s5.6 and 7.
Not sure I broke or just bruised my ribs when a went for a pretty nasty fall, 3 weeks now and still painfull these exercises sure help. Thanks so much!
Hi Mark, thanks for the message. Hang in there. See your GP and can order imaging if appropriate to rule in or rule out. Otherwise, can be hard to know for sure. Hang in there! -Cheers, Aleks
Thank you for this video. I broke 3 ribs 10 days ago & and my Dr wouldn't even see me nor prescribe pain meds. I'm 60 & have never asked for pain meds but the pain was horrible & i needed something stronger than Tylenol or Motrin. Your video has helped me more than my pathetic excuse of a doctor.
Hi Lisa. Very unfortunate to hear but it is something I hear far too often. In this day and age, you have to advocate for your health more than ever. Hang in there and hoping for a speedy recovery! Thank you for your comment and kind words. As always, this is not medical advice. Education only. -Cheers, Aleks
I can't even imagine this! I also broke 3 ribs, 3 weeks ago. Thankfully, the emerg doc prescribed hydromorphone, and even that barely provided relief. Trying to get any sleep has been a nightmare. After 8 days, I stopped the hydromorphone and now just using advil.
I'm in month 15 after 7 fractured ribs. I thought I had recovered then did some pickle ball and golf and realised there is pain and I cant do these things. So I am looking for stretching exercises that will help with this incredibly long recovery. thank you
Hi Mr. Green. That is quite an injury. Remember that you can still have pain long after a rib fracture and even if there is physiological healing that already took place. Especially considering the nature of the cause that made you break 7 ribs. Follow up with GP as needed if pain persists. Seek a PT to help you successfully return to golf and pickleball as there can be various aggravating positions and movements that can flare up your previous symptoms. -Aleks
I fractured 5 ribs going on 3 weeks At first thought it was just bruised ribs bc x rays don't show that much but the CT scan did. Found this video today. It's going to help with the other breathing treatments.i have periods where I get upset bc I'm having to depend on other ppl and I ride horses which I wanna ride mine and can't. God will help me though
Hi Jen. Hang in there. Each day should feel a bit better generally. 3 weeks is still early even though it seems like a lifetime. Hang in there and hoping for a speedy recovery! 🙂-Aleks
I broke 3 ribs ago, right side, ribs 7-9 , it was a bicycle accident.1O days passed already, the first few nights were a nightmare and its slowly becoming better.I have already started doing the exercises and it feels good with the breathing, thank you so much! Only question I have is , is it normal to have shoulder blade pain from walking with broken ribs as for me breathing is not a huge pain but walking gives me a lot of problems on my shoulder blades.
Hi John great question. Rib fractures 7-9 would generally be just below your shoulder blades anatomically speaking. However, it may be possible that there may be some referred pain, or some muscles were also injured around this area at the time of impact. It would of course be difficult for me to know without doing a further examination and asking more questions. Best bet, if you are concerned is to see your GP or PT for further advice and guidance. The good news is that the symptoms are getting better from a pain perspective. -Aleks
@@aleks_physio Hi Aleks, thank you so much for your quick answer, I subscribed to your channel and saw that you have couple of other helpful videos for this topic, awesome. Regarding my talk with the GP, I live in Germany and he said its too early and the pain probably reflected from the broken ribs, no CT or MRI is needed he said. In the first day of injury I was on intensive care and they made X-Ray and ultra sonography for checking injured organs, no muscle check up. So, I assume a long period of healing is needed and practicing the things you have shared in your channel - Thank you!! Jovica
@johnmalkovich8619 hi Jovica, there would like be some muscle contusion (bruising) based on the impact. However, this wouldn’t be the go to structure to check in urgent car. It’s more so making sure you don’t have a pneumothorax or hemothorax or ruptured spleen or flail chest (more medical emergencies). Keep monitoring your symptoms but should slowly improve with time if no other red flags present. As always, not medical advice. Pozdrav from Canada 🇨🇦(if you’re from the balkans based on that name haha)! -Aleks
@@aleks_physio Hi Aleks, thank you so much for the non medical advice. They said there weren't any internal organs injuries and were keeping me 2 days in the hospital because of the hemothorax and pneumothorax possibilities. Second time x-ray images did not show displacement and they said I can go home. Do hemothorax and pneumothorax develop afterwards too? If yes, on which things we need to pay attention to? And yes, I am coming from Macedonia :), are you from the Balkans too? Pozdrav was the right word :) Pozdrav from Macedonia
@johnmalkovich8619 Hi, ok that’s good to hear. A pneumothorax can be delayed depending on the imaging used (which you said was an X-ray). X-rays are good because they’re quick and easy to perform. Gold standard is generally a CT scan however they sometimes don’t perform because of increased radiation and cost. However, depending on how many days you’re out, the indicators that you have a delayed pneumo or hemo would of course reduce. Regardless, monitor for signs such as chest tightness, fatigue, sharp pains (especially during inhale), abnormal breathing pattern/difficulty breathing and seek medical attention. Small pneumos can resolve on their own, so if the X-ray did not pick up and you had one, it might have been too small to notice. Just continue to follow up with medical provider as needed. Yes I am from Balkans too!-Aleks
Sorry meant to say she's 80 and on week 6 of recovery. Walking slowly with walker now. Had one rib fracture. And has loss of confidence walkimg unassisted and geting out of bed any tips would be so appreciated
Hello lesialee, great question! Generally pain can dictate what you can and can’t tolerate. Even with rib fractures, lower body exercises can increase intrabdominal pressure around the fracture rib region. Generally, walking is a great place to start and gradually using less assistance based on tolerance levels would be a goal if that was the baseline pre injury. But of course, best would be to see someone as this isn’t medical advice. regarding specific exercises, it would also depend on goals and level of function initially. Working on compound movements (squats, glute bridges, sit-to-stands, etc that work more than one muscle group are good places to start and modifying based on tolerance accordingly). Getting out of bed I do have a video where I go over how to get out of bed that you can check out. It’s of course more challenging having a rib injury at age 80 vs 50 (generally) because it takes longer to recovery. Please have her see someone to help rebuild the strength and confidence. Lack of mobility due to pain can affect confidence and strength which can lead to falls and frailty. Hope this helps! Cheers, Aleks
Hello, starting my third week right now. I had a fracture on 9th left rib during surf, the first 3 days was not that bad, I was not taking any pain killers, so I started breathing exercises and moving my arms and shoulders. It was too early and pain escaleted, I immediately sttoped and got better again after two days. Since this episode I'm taking a more conservative approach. On my 15th day, I did start breath exercises and stretching shoulders and arms, feels nice and not too painful. I'm wondering if swimming at the pool can be a good exercise at this stage to get ready for surfing again after 4 weeks from the injury. What do you think? Thanks for the content, I really appreciate.
Hi Bruno, thanks for sharing your story. I would generally say after a few weeks, that resuming light exercises can be generally appropriate. However, this varies person to person and its a good idea to use pain as your guide. There are not necessarily any specific restrictions to which exercises are bad for you, rather, the focus should be on starting small and slowly building up your tolerance. For example, when you say is swimming at the pool a good exercise, I don't see why not, however, would I recommend that you just start freestyle swimming or butterfly strokes for the get go? Probably not. Maybe some breast strokes or lighter intensity activity in the pool to start with, see how your symptoms are and progress from there. But remember, this isn't medical advice. My recommendation would be to see a physio to put you on an individualized program and monitor your performance and progress as able so you have someone to follow up with. Hope this helps. Glad to hear its slowly getting better. -Cheers, Aleks
@@aleks_physio hey Aleks, thank you very much. I'm outside of my country for months and not able to seek medical advice or a physiotherapist, so I'm really glad to be educated by your content.
Guess I’m lucky with only 1 cracked rib. Bad arthritis in shoulder is also involved. After the 1st week, I’m breathing better. I’d like to get some lower body exercise. Thinking of easy treadmill. Sleeping is my biggest problem. These exercises look & feel good - thank you!
Even just one cracked (broken) rib can be extremity debilitating. Glad to hear that you are making progress. As your sleep quality and duration continues to improve, this generally is expected to assist with your pain and overall recovery. Thanks for the kind words! Cheers, Aleks
3 weeks now I broke my left 7th. never felt much pain just hi and lows from a day to another but no significant improvement since then. I'm a cyclist and obviously after 1 day off (and an X-ray scan to list-out pneumothorax chances) I was already on the bike in the horrifying thought of losing fitness if I rest more than 3 days in a row 🙈. Pain is always and again a 3 in a 1 to 10 scale, feeling nothing at all if I don't move. No big problems with coughing nor sleeping on the fractured side. Doc, what do you think of the cycling thing? Should I completely stop even if I don't feel extra pain from it? Is it going to slow healing down or speed it up? Thanks! Big like for you!
Hello, thank you for sharing your story. Tough injury but it seems that you're coming along well. Generally, being off the bike for a few days won't affect you considerably in the long run from a fitness perspective. It's a marathon not a sprint. And if your body needs more time to recover then that will be beneficial for you in the long run. With that being said, if the symptoms are quite low on the in terms of irritability, then of course this is a good sign. I always try to tell people to push to the pain but not through it. Pain is so complex and is subjective and varies tremendously person to person. And of course, everyones pain levels are different and their tolerance is difference. As a PT, I try to avoid telling people to avoid this or don't do that, especially if someone finds lots of joy and love in participating in said activity or sport. There are ways to modify activities in the short term and progress slowly based on how you are feeling. So it just depends. Define what your extra pain is and see if it affects your performance and if its worsening with more time on the bike. As you work harder, your breathing rate and depth will naturally increase, which may irritate your ribs more. However, maybe you start at a certain percentage of your normal work out and build up based on your tolerance. The best thing would be to see a Physio to put you on the right program and build up your exercise capacity and tolerance and monitor your progress at each stage and make the necessary adjustments to your program. Not medical advice. Hope this helps! Cheers- Aleks
@@aleks_physio 🙏🏻 Thanks Aleks! Much appreciated as I don't dare asking my family doctor as she said "1 month complete rest, have a nice one". As I said, even though I don't take any medication, the pain level is very manageable this time and even on the bike, if I don't stand on the pedals, I feel nearly zero pain, even on 4-5 hours rides (low intensity)! My concern comes from what I've read around: "Avoid activities that make breathing rate increase and HR increase" So I'm only doing low intensity endurance rides with no intensity whatsoever. Your insights are clear though and thanks again! 👍🏻
@@Kung-Fu-Master-Final-Boss No problem. Happy to help. It is difficult as most GPs don't have the time and the understanding of how important the activity is to the individual. So it's usually treated as a very black and white answer. Unfortunately, this is the way the medical system can be (at least in Canada). It is viewed at as a purely biomechanics issue and physiological recovery. Also, it is meant to cover themselves should something arise during your performance if you don't listen to said advice. This is the challenge of trying to provide advice online as I don't know you nor your story nor the extent of the injury. So it's always best to take the information provided from your GP and from any other medical professionals and ultimately you make the decision on what is acceptable or not for you for what your goals are and what you want to accomplish. It is such a wide range of spectrum from the symptoms felt after a rib fracture. Just remember about that point you mentioned about the avoiding activities that make your HR and breathing rate increase. If you walk, that will make your HR and BR increase. Going upstairs will make it increase as well. So should you just lie down in bed for 1 month and not do anything whatsoever?This is where you have to take the advice you read online with your own experience (as remember that advice is not always going to be relevant to you) and make the decision on what you can and can't tolerate based on your symptoms and healing and time since injury. Hope this helps. Not medical advice. See a Physio. Cheers, Aleks
I broke 3 ribs , 7-9, and im very worried about moving that side as i don't want to be one of the people who ends up with non-union, months later. Im reluctant to do your last 2 exercises for that reason. Your thoughts?
Please seek the advice of your GP. Remember this isn’t medical advice, just education. If you’ve not only broken 1 rib, let alone 3, then this is the best route. Keep me posted on your progress. Hoping for a speedy and healthy recovery Joy. -Aleks
Broke 10 ribs on left side 3 with multiple fractures,it hurts like crazy only have about 40%lung capacity after 8 weeks still a lot of pain ,i work thru it the best i can ,1 st weel i was in hospital fir pain meds they were giveing me something every hr fr 3 days it has been the most painful injury ever ,had plenty at 63 and a dirt bike rider.
Wow. I can’t imagine what you’ve been going through over the last several weeks. Stay strong. No other internal organ injuries or pneumothorax/hemothorax? Keep me posted on the recovery. Cheers, Aleks
Hey bud . I’ve been trying to find someone with the same diagnosis. I’ve broken 13 . Ten on one side . I keep wondering if something is wrong as I’m still in agony after 7 weeks . The docs don’t really acknowledge how much pain I’m in . Im on OxyContin 10 mg twice a day . and oxy norm 5 mg 4 times a day . But I’m still in agony . Im glad I saw your post . Pain management is so hard with these injuries . Hope you recover well
I have 3 rib fractures on my back right side from a car accident...the exercises you mentioned in this videos are for fractures on the front ribs. Are these exercises also recommended for the back right side rib fracture?
Yeah they can also be used for the fractures around the back. The principle is the same. Only part is the splinting coughing with the pillow may be a bit more challenging to splint and may require more shoulder mobility or assistance/creativity. Or you may have to rest the back of your pillow against a wall to act as a splint. However, remember this isn’t medical advice and you should see a GP or a PT to make sure exercises such as these would be appropriate.
There’s so much sucky symptoms that can generate from rib fractures I got my ribs fractured from July of last year my whole life style changed I didn’t find out until January and it’s been really hard circling back to my old life style I’ve lost weight always have a fatigue shortness of breath anxiety increase and sometimes confusion it’s been really tough
Hang in there. These injuries can be tough and range widely in terms of how much quality of life is affected. Remember just because tissues can heal physiologically, does not mean that pain is decreased to 0/10 along with it. Pain can linger and depends on a multitude of fractures. See a PT to get you slowly back into your regular routine and activities via exercises and a plan/program to help with pain control. Thanks for sharing your story. Hope this helps! Cheers, Aleks
@@aleks_physiothanks I’ve seen so much doctors and all they didn’t really care about what I wanted to say, been so tough since I work in the trades industry and I can’t work unless I’m all healed up I can’t work out any more because if I do my body shuts down and I become vaguely sick and mentally state becomes weakened for some reason
I got punched repeatedly and as a result he broke my 678 left side ribs this helped very much as I work out with my football and Before i was prescribed a muscle relaxer I couldnt sleep as my right side was bruised thank you so much
I took a fall and thought I broke some ribs but did not. My left side is still in pain. The lungs were a little called a little hypo inflated and I have some pleural effusion. The pain sometimes bothers me sometimes not but maybe this takes time.
Hi Aubrey, did you have a CT scan to confirm? The goal is that those days where it bothers you become less and the days it doesn’t bother you increases to the point that your pain becomes unnoticeable. Each day may have its ups and downs but generally trend should be improvement. Hoping for a health recovery! Keep me posted. See your GP for follow up. -Aleks
I fractured my 9th&10th ribs , right side on a motorcycle ride(slippery paved road) two weeks past. My movements are quite improving and feel general pain/tenderness. What bothers me is when i do deep breaths or slowly stretch, i feel pops during the repetitions, some pops have mild pain or discomfort but tolerable. Should this be a cause for concern?
Hi George, thanks for your great question. Did you have a confirmed fracture via imaging, such as CT scan? If so, it would be unlikely that it would not catch something sinister. Pops during deep breathing could be changes in loads in the tissues and scar tissue formation that is around that area. Mild pain can be normal as it’s still quite early in your recovery. In addition, because it appears that you are trending upwards and still within the window for future improvements that would be expected to be made physiologically (few weeks up to 3 months), then I wouldn’t generally tend to be concerned if I was your provider. However, of course I am not, and as such please take this general advice as education versus medical. If you are concerned, please see your health care provider for further evaluation and follow up. Hope this helps! Let me know how your recovery is. Regards, Aleks
@@aleks_physio thanks for the quick responce,greatly appreciate it. I had several chest xrays,right shoulder,arms and wrist. Had ctscan too. I was just informed i had fracture ribs but ortho docs didnt show them, i havent read the reports given too thats why sought help from you! At 63 i still carry 50-60kgs on my shoulder on a 200m walk. But everything changes now. Thanks again and aill keep in touch and share too!
Great question. When I worked with rib fracture patients in the hospital, we would work on some exercises the first 1-2 days. Sometimes it would just involve practicing getting out of the bed. It would be appropriate to evaluate your status first to ensure there are no reasons why these exercises should be performed. But mobility exercises (walking, transferring from the bed to a chair, sitting from lying down, going to the bathroom) are attempted within the first few days. Of course this would depend on pain levels and other injuries sustained if any. But no specific restrictions. Use pain as a general guide and monitor your symptoms before during and after the exercises. But best to see someone to help you along the way and ensure progressing appropriately. Good luck! -Aleks
@aleks_physio sir .. just came to know my sister had bilateral rib fracture(5,6,7,8) , it's been a week how to make her getup from bed ,she is lying on bed after fracture till now
It would be hard to know without more context. See your GP air you are concerned to do an appropriate exam and order imaging or other interventions as needed. -Aleks
Generally we say to use pain as a rough guide. But again I can’t tell you the exact recommendations because I’m not your provider. remember this is just general education not medical advice. See you GP for clearance and follow up with a Physio.
I broke 11 ribs on my right side 11-5-23 and 2 surgeries with 6 plates later I’m still having issues in this long recovery 1-22-24. I’m aiming to return to work 1-28-24.
This has been hell. I also dislocated my shoulder, punctured my lung, 4 chest tubes, 2 compressed vertebras. I’m hoping very much I make a full recovery and no more surgery! I was doing decent before my second surgery. Now I’m on the struggle bus!
Oh wow. Quite the injury. Hang in there! I can’t imagine the kind of journey and rollercoaster you’ve been on. Thanks for sharing! Cheers, Aleks
Straight forward advice with no added fillers.. perfect. Thank you.
Thank you kindly for your words! -Aleks
i broke 3 ribs about 3 weeks ago and i and agree with the heal time and pain being subjective to each individual .... the first two weeks were hell but now im online looking around for exercises to help with the healing process
Thanks for sharing your story! Hopefully you got some value. All the best in your recovery hang in there. Cheers, Aleks
Wow you break 3 ribs 3 weeks ago so did I . I stepped into a hole where steps were and went straight into the cement porch and now I’m still healing I broke #s5.6 and 7.
Already surgery
You Already surgery
Not sure I broke or just bruised my ribs when a went for a pretty nasty fall, 3 weeks now and still painfull these exercises sure help. Thanks so much!
Hi Mark, thanks for the message. Hang in there. See your GP and can order imaging if appropriate to rule in or rule out. Otherwise, can be hard to know for sure. Hang in there! -Cheers, Aleks
Thank you for this video. I broke 3 ribs 10 days ago & and my Dr wouldn't even see me nor prescribe pain meds. I'm 60 & have never asked for pain meds but the pain was horrible & i needed something stronger than Tylenol or Motrin. Your video has helped me more than my pathetic excuse of a doctor.
Hi Lisa. Very unfortunate to hear but it is something I hear far too often. In this day and age, you have to advocate for your health more than ever. Hang in there and hoping for a speedy recovery! Thank you for your comment and kind words. As always, this is not medical advice. Education only. -Cheers, Aleks
I can't even imagine this! I also broke 3 ribs, 3 weeks ago. Thankfully, the emerg doc prescribed hydromorphone, and even that barely provided relief. Trying to get any sleep has been a nightmare. After 8 days, I stopped the hydromorphone and now just using advil.
Good advice! Thanks very much.
No problem! Happy to help 🙂 Cheers, Aleks
I'm in month 15 after 7 fractured ribs. I thought I had recovered then did some pickle ball and golf and realised there is pain and I cant do these things. So I am looking for stretching exercises that will help with this incredibly long recovery. thank you
Hi Mr. Green. That is quite an injury. Remember that you can still have pain long after a rib fracture and even if there is physiological healing that already took place. Especially considering the nature of the cause that made you break 7 ribs. Follow up with GP as needed if pain persists. Seek a PT to help you successfully return to golf and pickleball as there can be various aggravating positions and movements that can flare up your previous symptoms. -Aleks
Just fractured a rib last week. Very helpful video.
Thank you for your kind words. Hang in there and hoping for a speedy recovery! You got this 💪
I fractured 5 ribs going on 3 weeks
At first thought it was just bruised ribs bc x rays don't show that much but the CT scan did. Found this video today. It's going to help with the other breathing treatments.i have periods where I get upset bc I'm having to depend on other ppl and I ride horses which I wanna ride mine and can't. God will help me though
Hi Jen. Hang in there. Each day should feel a bit better generally. 3 weeks is still early even though it seems like a lifetime. Hang in there and hoping for a speedy recovery! 🙂-Aleks
@@aleks_physio thank u!
Thank you best advice found
Thank you for the kind words Patricia. All the best in your recovery! -Aleks
Good video I have 4 broken ribs and this should help. Broke them 3 weeks ago. Thanks
Thanks for the kind words. All the best in your recovery Bob. -Cheers, Aleks
Thank you very much sir. Banglore
Happy to help. Thanks for the comment! - Aleks
Thank you sir this video help me
Hi Daljit, thank you for your kind words. Have a healthy recovery. Seek medical attention as needed. Not medical advice. Cheers, Aleks
I broke 3 ribs ago, right side, ribs 7-9 , it was a bicycle accident.1O days passed already, the first few nights were a nightmare and its slowly becoming better.I have already started doing the exercises and it feels good with the breathing, thank you so much!
Only question I have is , is it normal to have shoulder blade pain from walking with broken ribs as for me breathing is not a huge pain but walking gives me a lot of problems on my shoulder blades.
Hi John great question. Rib fractures 7-9 would generally be just below your shoulder blades anatomically speaking. However, it may be possible that there may be some referred pain, or some muscles were also injured around this area at the time of impact. It would of course be difficult for me to know without doing a further examination and asking more questions. Best bet, if you are concerned is to see your GP or PT for further advice and guidance. The good news is that the symptoms are getting better from a pain perspective. -Aleks
@@aleks_physio Hi Aleks, thank you so much for your quick answer, I subscribed to your channel and saw that you have couple of other helpful videos for this topic, awesome.
Regarding my talk with the GP, I live in Germany and he said its too early and the pain probably reflected from the broken ribs, no CT or MRI is needed he said.
In the first day of injury I was on intensive care and they made X-Ray and ultra sonography for checking injured organs, no muscle check up. So, I assume a long period of healing is needed and practicing the things you have shared in your channel - Thank you!! Jovica
@johnmalkovich8619 hi Jovica, there would like be some muscle contusion (bruising) based on the impact. However, this wouldn’t be the go to structure to check in urgent car. It’s more so making sure you don’t have a pneumothorax or hemothorax or ruptured spleen or flail chest (more medical emergencies). Keep monitoring your symptoms but should slowly improve with time if no other red flags present. As always, not medical advice. Pozdrav from Canada 🇨🇦(if you’re from the balkans based on that name haha)! -Aleks
@@aleks_physio Hi Aleks, thank you so much for the non medical advice. They said there weren't any internal organs injuries and were keeping me 2 days in the hospital because of the hemothorax and pneumothorax possibilities. Second time x-ray images did not show displacement and they said I can go home. Do hemothorax and pneumothorax develop afterwards too? If yes, on which things we need to pay attention to?
And yes, I am coming from Macedonia :), are you from the Balkans too? Pozdrav was the right word :)
Pozdrav from Macedonia
@johnmalkovich8619 Hi, ok that’s good to hear. A pneumothorax can be delayed depending on the imaging used (which you said was an X-ray). X-rays are good because they’re quick and easy to perform. Gold standard is generally a CT scan however they sometimes don’t perform because of increased radiation and cost. However, depending on how many days you’re out, the indicators that you have a delayed pneumo or hemo would of course reduce. Regardless, monitor for signs such as chest tightness, fatigue, sharp pains (especially during inhale), abnormal breathing pattern/difficulty breathing and seek medical attention. Small pneumos can resolve on their own, so if the X-ray did not pick up and you had one, it might have been too small to notice. Just continue to follow up with medical provider as needed. Yes I am from Balkans too!-Aleks
Great video thanks !what about elderly who have been immobile due to rib injury and need to strength legs again?
Sorry meant to say she's 80 and on week 6 of recovery. Walking slowly with walker now. Had one rib fracture. And has loss of confidence walkimg unassisted and geting out of bed any tips would be so appreciated
Hello lesialee, great question! Generally pain can dictate what you can and can’t tolerate. Even with rib fractures, lower body exercises can increase intrabdominal pressure around the fracture rib region. Generally, walking is a great place to start and gradually using less assistance based on tolerance levels would be a goal if that was the baseline pre injury. But of course, best would be to see someone as this isn’t medical advice. regarding specific exercises, it would also depend on goals and level of function initially. Working on compound movements (squats, glute bridges, sit-to-stands, etc that work more than one muscle group are good places to start and modifying based on tolerance accordingly). Getting out of bed I do have a video where I go over how to get out of bed that you can check out. It’s of course more challenging having a rib injury at age 80 vs 50 (generally) because it takes longer to recovery. Please have her see someone to help rebuild the strength and confidence. Lack of mobility due to pain can affect confidence and strength which can lead to falls and frailty. Hope this helps! Cheers, Aleks
See above!
Thanks a lot
Thanks for your kind words! Happy to help 🙂-Aleks
Hello, starting my third week right now.
I had a fracture on 9th left rib during surf, the first 3 days was not that bad, I was not taking any pain killers, so I started breathing exercises and moving my arms and shoulders. It was too early and pain escaleted, I immediately sttoped and got better again after two days. Since this episode I'm taking a more conservative approach.
On my 15th day, I did start breath exercises and stretching shoulders and arms, feels nice and not too painful.
I'm wondering if swimming at the pool can be a good exercise at this stage to get ready for surfing again after 4 weeks from the injury. What do you think?
Thanks for the content, I really appreciate.
Hi Bruno, thanks for sharing your story. I would generally say after a few weeks, that resuming light exercises can be generally appropriate. However, this varies person to person and its a good idea to use pain as your guide. There are not necessarily any specific restrictions to which exercises are bad for you, rather, the focus should be on starting small and slowly building up your tolerance. For example, when you say is swimming at the pool a good exercise, I don't see why not, however, would I recommend that you just start freestyle swimming or butterfly strokes for the get go? Probably not. Maybe some breast strokes or lighter intensity activity in the pool to start with, see how your symptoms are and progress from there. But remember, this isn't medical advice. My recommendation would be to see a physio to put you on an individualized program and monitor your performance and progress as able so you have someone to follow up with. Hope this helps. Glad to hear its slowly getting better. -Cheers, Aleks
@@aleks_physio hey Aleks, thank you very much. I'm outside of my country for months and not able to seek medical advice or a physiotherapist, so I'm really glad to be educated by your content.
@brunoairesb thank you for your kind words. Happy to try and be of assistance. Cheers, Aleks
Guess I’m lucky with only 1 cracked rib. Bad arthritis in shoulder is also involved. After the 1st week, I’m breathing better. I’d like to get some lower body exercise. Thinking of easy treadmill. Sleeping is my biggest problem. These exercises look & feel good - thank you!
Even just one cracked (broken) rib can be extremity debilitating. Glad to hear that you are making progress. As your sleep quality and duration continues to improve, this generally is expected to assist with your pain and overall recovery. Thanks for the kind words! Cheers, Aleks
We are lucky my brother. I had a bad accident, only had one fractured rib 🙏🏾
Sleeping became impossible in a bed, I slept in a chair by mine for a couple of weeks, it was making me very depressed.
Hope you are managing better.
Th a nk you ❤️
Happy to help! Thanks for your kind words 🙂 -Aleks
3 weeks now I broke my left 7th. never felt much pain just hi and lows from a day to another but no significant improvement since then.
I'm a cyclist and obviously after 1 day off (and an X-ray scan to list-out pneumothorax chances) I was already on the bike in the horrifying thought of losing fitness if I rest more than 3 days in a row 🙈. Pain is always and again a 3 in a 1 to 10 scale, feeling nothing at all if I don't move. No big problems with coughing nor sleeping on the fractured side.
Doc, what do you think of the cycling thing? Should I completely stop even if I don't feel extra pain from it? Is it going to slow healing down or speed it up?
Thanks! Big like for you!
Hello, thank you for sharing your story. Tough injury but it seems that you're coming along well. Generally, being off the bike for a few days won't affect you considerably in the long run from a fitness perspective. It's a marathon not a sprint. And if your body needs more time to recover then that will be beneficial for you in the long run. With that being said, if the symptoms are quite low on the in terms of irritability, then of course this is a good sign. I always try to tell people to push to the pain but not through it. Pain is so complex and is subjective and varies tremendously person to person. And of course, everyones pain levels are different and their tolerance is difference. As a PT, I try to avoid telling people to avoid this or don't do that, especially if someone finds lots of joy and love in participating in said activity or sport. There are ways to modify activities in the short term and progress slowly based on how you are feeling. So it just depends. Define what your extra pain is and see if it affects your performance and if its worsening with more time on the bike. As you work harder, your breathing rate and depth will naturally increase, which may irritate your ribs more. However, maybe you start at a certain percentage of your normal work out and build up based on your tolerance. The best thing would be to see a Physio to put you on the right program and build up your exercise capacity and tolerance and monitor your progress at each stage and make the necessary adjustments to your program. Not medical advice. Hope this helps!
Cheers- Aleks
@@aleks_physio 🙏🏻 Thanks Aleks! Much appreciated as I don't dare asking my family doctor as she said "1 month complete rest, have a nice one".
As I said, even though I don't take any medication, the pain level is very manageable this time and even on the bike, if I don't stand on the pedals, I feel nearly zero pain, even on 4-5 hours rides (low intensity)! My concern comes from what I've read around: "Avoid activities that make breathing rate increase and HR increase" So I'm only doing low intensity endurance rides with no intensity whatsoever.
Your insights are clear though and thanks again! 👍🏻
@@Kung-Fu-Master-Final-Boss No problem. Happy to help. It is difficult as most GPs don't have the time and the understanding of how important the activity is to the individual. So it's usually treated as a very black and white answer. Unfortunately, this is the way the medical system can be (at least in Canada). It is viewed at as a purely biomechanics issue and physiological recovery. Also, it is meant to cover themselves should something arise during your performance if you don't listen to said advice. This is the challenge of trying to provide advice online as I don't know you nor your story nor the extent of the injury. So it's always best to take the information provided from your GP and from any other medical professionals and ultimately you make the decision on what is acceptable or not for you for what your goals are and what you want to accomplish. It is such a wide range of spectrum from the symptoms felt after a rib fracture. Just remember about that point you mentioned about the avoiding activities that make your HR and breathing rate increase. If you walk, that will make your HR and BR increase. Going upstairs will make it increase as well. So should you just lie down in bed for 1 month and not do anything whatsoever?This is where you have to take the advice you read online with your own experience (as remember that advice is not always going to be relevant to you) and make the decision on what you can and can't tolerate based on your symptoms and healing and time since injury. Hope this helps. Not medical advice. See a Physio. Cheers, Aleks
I broke 3 ribs , 7-9, and im very worried about moving that side as i don't want to be one of the people who ends up with non-union, months later. Im reluctant to do your last 2 exercises for that reason. Your thoughts?
Please seek the advice of your GP. Remember this isn’t medical advice, just education. If you’ve not only broken 1 rib, let alone 3, then this is the best route. Keep me posted on your progress. Hoping for a speedy and healthy recovery Joy. -Aleks
Broke 10 ribs on left side 3 with multiple fractures,it hurts like crazy only have about 40%lung capacity after 8 weeks still a lot of pain ,i work thru it the best i can ,1 st weel i was in hospital fir pain meds they were giveing me something every hr fr 3 days it has been the most painful injury ever ,had plenty at 63 and a dirt bike rider.
Wow. I can’t imagine what you’ve been going through over the last several weeks. Stay strong. No other internal organ injuries or pneumothorax/hemothorax? Keep me posted on the recovery. Cheers, Aleks
Hey bud . I’ve been trying to find someone with the same diagnosis. I’ve broken 13 . Ten on one side . I keep wondering if something is wrong as I’m still in agony after 7 weeks . The docs don’t really acknowledge how much pain I’m in . Im on OxyContin 10 mg twice a day . and oxy norm 5 mg 4 times a day . But I’m still in agony . Im glad I saw your post . Pain management is so hard with these injuries . Hope you recover well
I have 3 rib fractures on my back right side from a car accident...the exercises you mentioned in this videos are for fractures on the front ribs. Are these exercises also recommended for the back right side rib fracture?
Yeah they can also be used for the fractures around the back. The principle is the same. Only part is the splinting coughing with the pillow may be a bit more challenging to splint and may require more shoulder mobility or assistance/creativity. Or you may have to rest the back of your pillow against a wall to act as a splint. However, remember this isn’t medical advice and you should see a GP or a PT to make sure exercises such as these would be appropriate.
@@aleks_physio Thanks.
There’s so much sucky symptoms that can generate from rib fractures I got my ribs fractured from July of last year my whole life style changed I didn’t find out until January and it’s been really hard circling back to my old life style I’ve lost weight always have a fatigue shortness of breath anxiety increase and sometimes confusion it’s been really tough
Hang in there. These injuries can be tough and range widely in terms of how much quality of life is affected. Remember just because tissues can heal physiologically, does not mean that pain is decreased to 0/10 along with it. Pain can linger and depends on a multitude of fractures. See a PT to get you slowly back into your regular routine and activities via exercises and a plan/program to help with pain control. Thanks for sharing your story. Hope this helps! Cheers, Aleks
@@aleks_physiothanks I’ve seen so much doctors and all they didn’t really care about what I wanted to say, been so tough since I work in the trades industry and I can’t work unless I’m all healed up I can’t work out any more because if I do my body shuts down and I become vaguely sick and mentally state becomes weakened for some reason
I got punched repeatedly and as a result he broke my 678 left side ribs this helped very much as I work out with my football and Before i was prescribed a muscle relaxer I couldnt sleep as my right side was bruised thank you so much
That’s super unfortunate to hear. Hang in there and hoping for a speedy recovery. Thank you for your kind words. -Aleks
I took a fall and thought I broke some ribs but did not. My left side is still in pain. The lungs were a little called a little hypo inflated and I have some pleural effusion. The pain sometimes bothers me sometimes not but maybe this takes time.
Hi Aubrey, did you have a CT scan to confirm? The goal is that those days where it bothers you become less and the days it doesn’t bother you increases to the point that your pain becomes unnoticeable. Each day may have its ups and downs but generally trend should be improvement. Hoping for a health recovery! Keep me posted. See your GP for follow up. -Aleks
I fractured my 9th&10th ribs , right side on a motorcycle ride(slippery paved road) two weeks past. My movements are quite improving and feel general pain/tenderness. What bothers me is when i do deep breaths or slowly stretch, i feel pops during the repetitions, some pops have mild pain or discomfort but tolerable. Should this be a cause for concern?
Hi George, thanks for your great question. Did you have a confirmed fracture via imaging, such as CT scan? If so, it would be unlikely that it would not catch something sinister. Pops during deep breathing could be changes in loads in the tissues and scar tissue formation that is around that area. Mild pain can be normal as it’s still quite early in your recovery. In addition, because it appears that you are trending upwards and still within the window for future improvements that would be expected to be made physiologically (few weeks up to 3 months), then I wouldn’t generally tend to be concerned if I was your provider. However, of course I am not, and as such please take this general advice as education versus medical. If you are concerned, please see your health care provider for further evaluation and follow up. Hope this helps! Let me know how your recovery is. Regards, Aleks
@@aleks_physio thanks for the quick responce,greatly appreciate it. I had several chest xrays,right shoulder,arms and wrist. Had ctscan too. I was just informed i had fracture ribs but ortho docs didnt show them, i havent read the reports given too thats why sought help from you! At 63 i still carry 50-60kgs on my shoulder on a 200m walk. But everything changes now. Thanks again and aill keep in touch and share too!
When can one start these exercises after a fracture
Great question. When I worked with rib fracture patients in the hospital, we would work on some exercises the first 1-2 days. Sometimes it would just involve practicing getting out of the bed. It would be appropriate to evaluate your status first to ensure there are no reasons why these exercises should be performed. But mobility exercises (walking, transferring from the bed to a chair, sitting from lying down, going to the bathroom) are attempted within the first few days. Of course this would depend on pain levels and other injuries sustained if any. But no specific restrictions. Use pain as a general guide and monitor your symptoms before during and after the exercises. But best to see someone to help you along the way and ensure progressing appropriately. Good luck! -Aleks
@aleks_physio sir .. just came to know my sister had bilateral rib fracture(5,6,7,8) , it's been a week how to make her getup from bed ,she is lying on bed after fracture till now
Add more breathing exercises...Thank you!!
Happy to help! All the best in your recovery! -Aleks
Im in pain.. my ribs in the right side seems swelling.. how can i be healed. Its really painful
It would be hard to know without more context. See your GP air you are concerned to do an appropriate exam and order imaging or other interventions as needed. -Aleks
I’m on day 5, how long do I wait or can I start now? If you hear and feel popping is that okay?
Generally we say to use pain as a rough guide. But again I can’t tell you the exact recommendations because I’m not your provider. remember this is just general education not medical advice. See you GP for clearance and follow up with a Physio.
Broken rib bad nerve
Hang in there. Hoping for a speedy recovery! -Aleks