![]() You are having trouble breathing or your oxygen levels are low. ![]() The injury seems serious or involved a lot of force. You have a chronic lung disease, like COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease). Some of the reasons you may need an imaging study to check for broken ribs are: This will depend on the type of injury, your symptoms, and your other medical conditions. In most cases, an X-ray or CT scan is not needed to diagnose a broken rib, but in some cases it may be necessary. A CT scan is a three-dimensional picture of the chest it provides a much better picture of the ribs and all the organs inside the chest. ![]() This is especially true for very small breaks, or when the X-ray is performed immediately after the injury.ĬT scans are much better at diagnosing rib fractures than X-rays, but they also involve more radiation exposure than X-rays, so they should be avoided when possible. X-rays of the chest can show if you have broken ribs, though sometimes the breaks can be hard to see. If you’ve had an injury to your chest, you might need some studies done to see if you have broken one or multiple ribs. This can be the case for people with weaker bones, such as older adults with osteoporosis, or people who take certain medications. Sometimes, even a low-impact injury can break a rib. A broken rib tends to be more painful, and it may take longer to heal. You’re more likely to have a broken rib if the injury involved a lot of force for example, as the result of a high-speed car accident. It’s usually a more serious injury than a bruise. ![]() Rib bruises tend to happen with lower-impact injuries, such as a fall.Ī broken rib, which is the same thing as a fractured rib, describes an actual break in the bone. It’s like a bruise, except you can’t see it because it’s on the bone (though you might also have a skin bruise in the same area). They might feel similar, but there are some important differences:Ī bruised rib is an injury to the bone that doesn’t cause a break in the bone. What are the biggest differences between bruised and broken ribs?īoth broken ribs and bruised ribs can result from injuries to the chest. Keep reading to learn more about the difference between bruised and broken ribs, how each is diagnosed, and how each is treated. Both can be really painful, and sometimes it can be hard to tell the difference just based on your symptoms. If you’ve had an injury to your rib cage, it’s possible that you could have a bruised or broken rib. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |