Treatment for broken ribs

I'm a family doctor, and have only seen Xrays of the plate and screw
approach in textbooks. I've worked with cases from the Cleveland Clinic, to
UPMC Presby in Pittsburgh, and never ran into anyone that ended up needing
surgery.

"Bob Shanteau" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I have some questions about recovering from broken ribs, where the breaks
have separated.

In late February, I was on the Hellyer Velodrome in San Jose, CA, when
another rider fell in front of me during a training session. I ran into

him

Quoted message said:

and went over the handlebars, landing on the right side of my head and my
right shoulder. I suffered a concussion and broke my right scapula and 8
ribs on the right side. I spent 7 days in the hospital, the last few with

a

Quoted message said:

tube inserted in my chest to drain fluid. Due to my concussion, I don't
remember the crash or the events leading up to it. I am a 56 year old man
and my bones are more brittle and I heal more slowly than 30 years ago.

There was a thread a couple of years ago titled, "recovery from a broken
rib." That guy only cracked one rib, and he healed in a couple of months.

I

Quoted message said:

am not so fortunate.

For me it has now been 12 weeks and my ribs have not mended. I am still in
enough pain that I cannot ride and sitting and standing are difficult. An
X-ray a couple of weeks ago showed at least 3 ribs that were still

separated

Quoted message said:

(ribs 6, 7 and 8, IIRC). My orthopedic surgeon said that the ribs may not
ever form a union, in which case some fibrous tissue will from between the
ends. He said I have 3 choices:

1. Let the ribs heal as they may, probably ending in at least one

non-union.

Quoted message said:

2. Have a specially trained physical therapist try to realign the ribs so
they will mend.

3. If we were in Germany, I would have surgery where the ribs are aligned
with plates and screws.

Has anyone here had experience with any of these 3 alternative treatments?
What were the results?

Bob Shanteau said:

I have some questions about recovering from broken ribs, where the breaks
have separated.

In late February, I was on the Hellyer Velodrome in San Jose, CA, when
another rider fell in front of me during a training session. I ran into him
and went over the handlebars, landing on the right side of my head and my
right shoulder. I suffered a concussion and broke my right scapula and 8
ribs on the right side. I spent 7 days in the hospital, the last few with a
tube inserted in my chest to drain fluid. Due to my concussion, I don't
remember the crash or the events leading up to it. I am a 56 year old man
and my bones are more brittle and I heal more slowly than 30 years ago.

There was a thread a couple of years ago titled, "recovery from a broken
rib." That guy only cracked one rib, and he healed in a couple of months. I
am not so fortunate.

For me it has now been 12 weeks and my ribs have not mended. I am still in
enough pain that I cannot ride and sitting and standing are difficult. An
X-ray a couple of weeks ago showed at least 3 ribs that were still separated
(ribs 6, 7 and 8, IIRC). My orthopedic surgeon said that the ribs may not
ever form a union, in which case some fibrous tissue will from between the
ends. He said I have 3 choices:

1. Let the ribs heal as they may, probably ending in at least one non-union.

2. Have a specially trained physical therapist try to realign the ribs so
they will mend.

3. If we were in Germany, I would have surgery where the ribs are aligned
with plates and screws.

Has anyone here had experience with any of these 3 alternative treatments?
What were the results?

Dear Bob,

While your post may provoke interesting tales of similar mishaps,
no surgeon would offer you an opinion without an x-ray and an
examination. Where each rib is broken would be just the starting
point.

You want someone who will treat you and all your specific
problems (a surgeon--or two or three), not well-meaning folk like
me who will tell you all about our truly fascinating injuries.

There is, for example, at least a fourth treatment for a broken
rib that fails to heal, causes continuing pain, and limits your
movement. I hope that your troubles aren't that bad.

Good luck,

Carl Fogel