RRC Archives

good to know. I will climb tomorrow.

I assume you know this:

Any force hard enough to break a rib is powerful enough to cause other, more life-threatening injuries. It's especially dangerous if the victim has any of the following signs or symptoms:

Severe shortness of breath
Coughing blood
Confusion or dizziness
General weakness
Blood in the urine
It's also possible to break more than one rib at a time. More than 3 broken ribs at one time is potentially life-threatening. Since the only way to know for sure is to get an x-ray, it's important to go to the emergency department anytime you suspect a broken rib.

There is good news and bad news about treating simple broken ribs. The good news: It will heal on its own and probably not develop any additional problems. The bad news is it hurts a lot and there's really very little you can do for it.

So, if the above has been checked enjoy your day of painful climbing. Sorry to hear that you broke it.

Wait 6 weeks and let your ribs heal. You have tour entire life to climb, as long as you back off when you have an injury. Bob Camps told me that. He was 77 and still climbing 5.12's.

steep4me is right on the money. Hang in there.

Screw going to the doctor. I like getting my medical advice on the internet.

Andrew wrote:Screw going to the doctor. I like getting my medical advice on the internet.

Works better than the few doctors I've been to in my life. Save your money unless it's serious.