I need some help and advice from anyone who has ever suffered bruised ribs. Let me first off explain that I hurt my ribs diving for a ball in softball (hell no I didn't catch it) and not surfing. The reason I preface that, is most info I have found on the web is talking about rib bruising due to paddling or getting rammed by a board. I went to the doctor and was diagnosed with severely bruised ribs (though the doc said they can't always see fractures in x-rays). I was given pain and anti-inflammatory meds. He said recovery time could be 10 days to 6 weeks. I am a teacher off for the summer and I love to surf...east coast waves...not ever much more than knee high lines to dabble with a longboard. I tried paddling around and felt intense pressure and was afraid to push it for fear of intense pain. Out of water, it doesn't hurt to pop up, but I'm afraid the body's core focus on a wave could mess me up. I've had buddies tell me to just push past the pain, while others insist a suffiecient off-period to prevent further damage. Ultimately, can anyone who has dealt with this please help answer any or all of the following questions:<br />1. What was your timetable of recovery for this injury?<br />2. Is there any methods to speed recovery?<br />3. Any stretches or exercises that can be beneficial?<br />4. Is the intense pressure something that can be pushed through or is my body truly saying don't push it?<br /><br />I appreciate anyone's advice or opinions.<br /><br />Make waves, not war... Beez
same thing happened to me last spring as a result of a mt bike ride. it hurts for awhile. i was in pain for about a month and still have pain if i stretch wrong. Ice and anti-inflammatory will help. you probably wont do any serious damage if you nut it out but it will extend the healing time. It's only pain so you should be able to surf.
6 weeks for my pain to subside to the almost unnoticeable point. Mind you it wasnt excruciating pain but enough to let you know it was there. Nothing really you can do except let it heal. Its yourbody so if you can manage the pain for a cant miss session just know you are probably extending your healing time.
I would say dont do anything if you can for like 3 days... mix in with some very light stretching... maybe hang from a pullup bar to achieve a small stretching action but nothing extreme.... hot bath... and advil or aleve to keep the swelling and pain down. good luck.
It took my cracked rib to heal between 1-2 months. The pain sticks around for a looooong time but of course lessens as time goes on. I would rest for a week or two and then start pushing it, good luck.
I bruised my ribs and partially collapsed my lung 5 days before my wedding while playing flag football in North Jersey. Got blasted (cheap shotted) by some roid head benny. Sneezing was the worst pain ever. Do everything you can to NOT sneeze. So i surfed Costa Rica with freshly bruised ribs being that my honeymoon was right after my wedding. Paddling was ok but duck diving (the "push up" motion) was hell. Good luck. Nothing but rest works...and pills of course. A nice script of percs for wifey and I to split while in Costa wasn't all that bad!!!!
i did something similiar a while back. hurt to breathe in deep, and sneezing was really horrible. i took the day off becuase of the pain but it was head high an clean so i went surfing. It hurt, and probably wasn't smart, but it didn't feel like i was making it worse. It did effect my surfing though. the pain just lessoned and what i was able to do increased over a couple weeks. BTW i chose this thread becuase it said BBQ and ribs
I hurt myself like that last year (while surfing). It was pretty bad, but I toughed it out for 2 weeks.....then all of a sudden while carrying a long board to the water, it went from bad to awful....I couldn't breath in without tremendous pain, I dropped the board, and whispered for help....I couldn't talk without flashes of pain. I remember what a friend had told me early and strapped a pillow to my rib cage using a belt (rash guard & towel at first).....This allowed me to breath again. Next day went to a chiropractor...no insurance. X-ray and "tuning" fork said no break. Dr. said to wait for 6 to 8 weeks.....I was like "what?! I just started popping up right." Then I asked her, her surfer opinion (she surfed). She said "3 weeks, no less" I made it 10 days before I sucked up the pain and paddled out. I found holding your breath while paddling helps with the pain....but not the paddling. Rest if you can stand it....and for the first few weeks, stretching is BAD! DOn't do it! Hope that help.....PM if you need more details or info.
About 10 years ago i went up to do a floater and blew it dropping back in. Board tipped sideways and i landed with my ribs on the rail. Most painful surf injury ive ever sustained. Severely bruised rib(s) like you say, its not all that painful out of the water. That led me to try surfing "pushing through the pain" once a week for about a month, but i gave up every time. The pain during paddling/popping up was so painful I was pretty much backing off right when i needed to muscle into the wave and hop up. After about a month the pain subsided and i was able to surf fine. So I'd plan on missing about a month. I wouldnt waste any time or money on therapy or other treatment. Your bruised your ribs, now they have to heal. Luckily for you July is consistently and dreadfully flat so you probably wont miss much.
Hey, at least they aren't broken. I wouldn't over-do it but you can probably surf. Like YDM mentioned, you can hurt yourself worse if you don't give yourself time to heal.
Got busted up last year real good on a beach break .Shattered 4 ribs and punctured small air sacks in my lungs.My doc was surprised I didn't have a flail chest.I was out of work for 2 months.I was in hospital for about 2 days.When I first got home it took me like 10 minutes to get from the center of my bed to get out of my bed.It was a pretty long road.First few weeks were real rough.Oxycodine was my friend.As soon as I was back to work I was back in the water.Didn't really experience any pain surfing even thou it was in my head for awhile.I have no affects from the accident although I can't run anymore because I get a shooting pain up my back.I'll take that considering.I would just say heal up first and charge it later.
i broke ribs on 3 occasions and its possibly one of the worst injuries imaginable. i have broken legs, arms, colarbones you name it but ribs suck the most. the easiest tasks from getting out of bed to taking a good dump are insanely painful. my best advice are just rest for a week or two. then slowly work back into physical activity. you also unfortunately cant do much to help rib injuries. you just gota deal with them. i actually re broke 2 ribs because they weren't healed all the way and i pushed it too early. that was an extra 6 weeks on top of the 4 i already spent doing nothing. just heal up my man and good luck.
