1. Football Players Should Protect Their Ribs
Football players risk broken ribs from forceful contact during their sport. The risk can be lowered by players wearing all protective gear including properly fitted shoulder pads and having officials enforce the ban on spearing, or tackling with a head first drive into another player. The foremost treatment of an acute rib fracture is rest. Football players must refrain from playing the game for about two months, enough time to heal the rib properly.
2. Ice and Pain Medications for Broken Ribs
Athletes who suffer an acute rib fracture while playing football can treat the broken bone by applying ice to the area. Ice application can help with pain and inflammation of the injury. Pain medications purchased over-the-counter, such as acetaminophen and ibuprofen, can provide some relief from pain of a broken rib during the healing process. You should read the instructions on these medications carefully and stick to the proper dosages. If these medications are ineffective, your physician may prescribe an injection to block the nerves to the ribs.
3. No More Wrapping This Injury
Most doctors no longer suggest wrapping a broken rib to help it heal. Physicians can occasionally prescribe a compression wrap to immobilize the torso and aid in the healing of an acute rib fracture, but complications caused by an inability to breathe deeply often occur and doctors seldom turn to this treatment as an effective aid in healing a broken rib. An inability to take a deep breath can lead to pneumonia. A bacterial infection can infect otherwise healthy tissue when the natural defenses in the body become weakened through disability. The inability to breathe properly causes this lowered level of defense in the body.
4. The Latest in Rib Fracture Treatment
Doctors at the Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU) perform a surgical procedure to aid in healing rib fractures. Surgeons implant a titanium u-shaped piece of hardware (U-plate) in a minimally invasive surgery. The ends of the U-plate attach to either piece of the fractured rib and hold it in place during healing. The U-plate lessens the amount of pain a patient feels and greatly reduces the risk of lung infection by allowing deep breathing immediately following the procedure. Doctors hope that faster healing with the U-plate makes the procedure a more popular alternative to the standard of doing nothing but taking medication to manage pain while the ribs heal on their own.
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