Massachusetts Personal Injury And Accident Victims Attorneys
Bruised or broken rib injuries are extremely painful. Simple things like breathing, chewing, coughing, rolling over in bed, brushing ones teeth, getting in and out of your car or bending over to pick something up can cause pain. Serious rib fractures can even puncture lungs or cause internal bleeding.
All rib fractures are not serious. Fractures don’t just occur as a result of car accidents, slip and fall accidents or sports-related contact. There are several activities and movements that are capable of exerting enough stress on the ribs to cause a fracture — a quick movement of the rib cage during a sneeze or golf swing could result in a fractured or cracked rib.
Symptoms Of A Fractured/Broken Rib
The ribs and rib cage perform two major functions: they protect the organs in your upper body and help you breathe.
The muscles used for breathing contract on the ribs and rib cage in order to allow air into and out of the lungs. If you have a cracked, fractured or bruised rib then you might experience pain every time you take a breath and as a result you might feel that you are only able to take shallow breaths. You may also experience swelling, tenderness and bruises to the skin.
Symptoms can depend on which rib has been injured. Ribs situated in the middle of your chest are the most vulnerable to fracture and bruising injuries and are usually the cause of pain. A minor crack or hairline fracture could produce little pain while a bruise to one of the tendons in the rib cage could produce a great amount of pain and decreased mobility in the upper body.
Treatment For Rib Fractures
One of the major downsides of a fractured or cracked rib injury is the inability to treat the injury with a cast. The ribs cannot be constricted and a cast of some type would restrict or prevent breathing. The breathing process slows the recovery period because the ribs expand and contract with every breath. Fracture ribs take longer to heal than most other bone fractures because the ribs are continually forced to move with every breath. Recovery time can be anywhere from 4 to 8 weeks depending on the location and severity of the fracture.
Our Accident Victims Claims Attorneys Can Help
If you suffered a fractured rib in an accident through no fault of your own you may be entitled to compensation for medical expenses and lost wages. No matter where you are located, we are just a phone call away to help you understand your rights and the value of your claim.
Call our Boston Car Accident Lawyers to schedule a free no-obligation case review and consultation at (508) 588-0422 and you will have taken your first step towards getting fair compensation for your injuries.
Our knowledgeable and experienced Boston Personal Injury Attorneys assist auto / car accident victims throughout all of Southeast Massachusetts, including but not limited to Brockton, Taunton, Bridgewater, Weymouth, Hingham, Quincy, Plymouth, Marshfield, Attleboro, Braintree, Rockland, Hanover, Duxbury, Whitman, Middleborough, Raynham, Mansfield, Avon, Canton, Stoughton and all smaller cities and rural areas in Southern Massachusetts. We also serve the counties of Plymouth, Norfolk, Bristol, Massachusetts.
