My mom broke her rib and is in pain. what and how long will it take to heal?!
Question: there are days that she feels good and over does it. she got hurt three weeks ago. she also has four broke vertabras. she is on muscle relaxers and pain meds. please if you can tell me how long this pain will go on with her.
Answers: there are days that she feels good and over does it. she got hurt three weeks ago. she also has four broke vertabras. she is on muscle relaxers and pain meds. please if you can tell me how long this pain will go on with her.
I KNOW YOU WORRY ABOUT YOUR MOM BUT YOU ALSO HAVE TO TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF!!! Your mother needs you now, but she doesn't need you to be exhausted and worried too! This is from a true friend, I KNOW HOW WELL YOU TAKE CARE OF YOUR MOM AND I ALSO KNOW YOUR ONE OF THE FEW SPECIAL PEOPLE LEFT THAT GIVES AND GIVES BUT EXPECTS NOTHING IN RETURN! PLEASE REMEMBER TO TAKE SOME YOU TIME, IT WILL MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE!! WE LOVE YOU LISA AND CLAY
There are no real cures for broken ribs, the only thing can do is rest. Take panadol or fioranal which will help to relieve the pain. It hurts when you breath in, and or turn over in bed.
It takes up to 3/4 months for the ribs to heal
fractured rib usually takes at least 6 weeks to heal. To help manage the pain while the fracture heals:
Put ice on the injured area.
Get extra rest.
Take pain medicine such as aspirin or ibuprofen. Your doctor may prescribe a stronger pain medicine if over-the-counter medicines don't work.
While you are healing, it is important to cough or take the deepest breath you can at least once an hour. This can help prevent pneumonia or a partial collapse of the lung tissue.
The ribs are very painful, but will heal the fastest. The vertebra will take longer. Another couple of weeks should be the best guess.
I once broke five ribs, two of them in two places, my collarbone, and a couple of other bones. The ribs hurt the most, especially when you are trying to sleep, cough, or laugh. I had to sleep in a recliner for a few months, and then it was difficult transferring to the bed. I alternated taking percocet to sleep with drinking alcohol. Anyway, it might take another two or three weeks for the pain to subside is my guess because generally they take bones out of casts after like six weeks. After six weeks, my chiropractor put a lot of pressure on my ribs to loosen the soft tissues. That hurts like hell but it gets the recovery going faster. He did the same thing basically that a rolfer does. That helped a lot, but the treatment itself hurts quite a bit. It's worth it if you can find someone who can do that. One of the things that helped me with the pain quite a bit was a poultice made of ground comfrey root. Go to a local health store and get some comfrey root powder, and if they don't have that, get comfrey root and put it in an herb or coffee grinder until it's a powder. Then mix it with a little water and castor oil until it's like a paste. Then put it on where it hurts for awhile. As I recall, it was like an hour or two that I used it. It certainly wasn't a very long time. Another thing you can try is arnica. Go to the health food store and tell them what's going on and that you want something with arnica in it. Your mom will get over her injury. It just takes a little time.
First let me say I'm sorry for your mothers injury. I know exactly how she feels cause I have broke three ribs myself. To answer your question though. It sounds as if you have already been to the doctor and got the proper meds. As for when the pain will stop greatly depends on her over all health. As long as she does what the doctor says and keeps doing that "which is about nothing" and practices taking breaths on the funny looking breathing thing. Her pain should ease within 3-5 weeks but the actual broken bone pain part can last 10 weeks, but that was my fault cause I wouldn't stay in bed or rest. But I'm not a doctor nor can I give you medical advice, I can just tell you that she needs rest, pain reliever and to breath into the portable breathing thing the doctor should have gave you. I really hope your mother gets well soon and the pain easies for her soon.
As much movement as can be tolerated is what I would advise.
My wife broke her hip when she was in her mid 50's...right from the start she attempted to keep moving as much as possible, first using a walker for about a month, then a cane, and after about 6 months only using the cane when she felt tired.
Upon coming home from the hospital she started out just walking up and down the sidewalk in front of our house, slowly increasing the distance. It seemed that by just moving as much and as far as her strength/pain would bear was what was best. We started dance lessons 9 months after the accident, and I think that form of exercise helped too.
A year after the accident she basically had no problems, but noticed that when her leg would ache it often seemed the weather was changing and rain was in the forecast. This now rarely happens any more.
You don't state how old your mom is and from your post your mom has far more problems than my wife did, but I would say do as much movement as she can tolerate and what the DR. says is advisable. Good luck to her.
About a month or so
If she got the broken vertebrae the same time as the broken ribs...your mother should have on some sort of back brace!
Three more weeks for the ribs...they should be wrapped with an ace bandage to hold the rib muscles(intercostals) in place, and hopefully ease the pain. Wrapped a shade less than tight.
It's hard to do, but have her control her laughter, coughing, sneezing, anything which will expand the chest area and cause movement of those muscles(which will move the ribs)
I say three more weeks of pain...but, depending on her age, it could be longer. Have her take it ultra easy!!!!
depends on how long the doctors tell her to keep the cast on.....