Can you crack or break a rib from coughing?

I now have a fractured right lower rib from coughing for 2 weeks with a upper respiatory infection. I went to the Dr who perscribed Ibuprophen 600 mg every 6 hours for pain (remember to eat a little bit before taking to protect your stomach) and a perscription (narcotic ) cough supressant.  She said the cough must be controlled in order for the rib to heal. Both meds have helped with the pain and cough. If you feel like you have to cough, sneeze or clear your throat, brace your rib area with your arm held tightly against your rib cage for support. I have a velcro binder which helps with supporting the area, it's like those elastic back supports that people wear when lifting. Hope this helps.

 

I've been having all these symtoms but its right under my arm on the side on my body and the right side doesn't look like the left side thank you maybe I can covince my mom to finally take me to a docotor

Well, I had a cough for about 2 months, with a couple of short breaks... being a smoker, it only aggravated during the winter. Travel and change in the weather made it worse. on 28th January, I was coughing badly and suddenly I felt excruciating pain on the left side above my abdomen... i was crying of pain. Friends took me to a hospital and I was shocked to find out that I had fractured a rib due to heavy cough. I still did not know if it was very serious, when my father who is a Doctor informed me to 'quit smoking' and stop coughing since the fractured rib could have cut into the spleen which would have caused internal bleeding.... and so on.

Moral of the story: Smoking kills - one way of the other!!!

JONNAB35....... That exact thing happened to mee....... I have had a really bad chest cold........ iam barely getting over it......... LAST night I was sitting on the couch with my dad watching a movie around 2:40 A.M. And I had a cough attack and he tried to help mee........ Well this morning I woke up and felt like I broke my ribs.......... I can't even take a deep breath....... I have to sit in one way for it not to hurt...... Mine hurts on my left side under my boob....... I don't know what to do....... It hurts really badly........ iam a 14 year old girl I've tried everything I can........ Nothing's worked........ But for the stupid people who are mean and think we didn't just wait...... Wait till one day it happens to youu......... Any muscles I move around that area it hurts so badly and my throat is so soar........ I would cough one time and I would cough for an hour without it stopping and then it would stop...... For a minute or two....... Then I would cough for an hour...... It was really heavy coughing it wasn't light at all........ People in stores would stare at mee......... It really hurts and I don't know what to do because doctors can't help youu with broken ribs....... I'm just glad I now now iam not the only person who has had or done this before........ 

My wife has Bronchitis and posssibly Plreurisy.   She started having a pain on her right side about a week into being diagnosed with Bronchitis and thought it was just a sypmtom of the Bronchitis and dealt with it.  About a week later, still coughing, the pain was now in both right and left side.  The doctor's were hesitant to do anything other than treat the Bronchitis because she is 7 months pregnant.  She finally could not take it anymore and they ordered x-rays and found that she had 2 broken ribs (1 on each side) and it was from the coughing.  They are limited on ways to treat being that she is pregnant.  She has been suffering with this for 3 weeks and this morning, coughed and felt the rib pop again.  They are still trying to find a way to calm her cough so that it will give time for her ribs to heal before the baby comes.  Don't wish this on anyone.  Hope this helps as well.

Unlike anyone else on this post i woke up with sharp pain on bottom part of left rib. I'm not sure if i coughed through out the night im sure a cough to cause this much pain would have woke me up. But i am having same symptoms hurts to cough or sneeze i dont think i cracked a rib maybe just straind the muscle all i know is that i wouldnt wish this on anyone

Have suffered with a bad respiratory infection or perhaps Bronchitis for about 5 weeks now. Typical pattern is waking up from 3-4 hours of sleep, having trouble breathing, and then coughing up ALOT of yellow-green solid mucus for about 30-45 minutes. ...  As a 20+ year smoker, the cough has been so bad at times it finally convinced me to quit for good approx. 4 weeks ago.  Yay! That's the positive i'm taking away from this, anyways...  Yet.. now I have similar symptoms here as most every one else described above., so I'm fairly certain I either have a cracked or broken ribs, or a strained muscle or ligaments on my left side rib cage (just below left breast area) from all the coughing at some point.  This sharp pain surfaced only about 4-5 days ago after an AM session of coughing really hard.  Pain is extreme when coughing, sneezing, laughing, or taking really deep breath.  ... If the cough and/or pain in ribcage does not get better by the end of the week, I have decided  to fnally pony up the cash to go and finally see a doctor (no insurance). :(

All doctor is going to do is give you ibuprofen i have no insurance and went yesterday there is nothing they can do. To save your self the money of going just go to store and buy motrin it has ibuprofen in it and that helps with the inflamed mucsles then use ice pack for 15 mins every hour. I really hope this helps you and saves you money from going to doctor

Although it's been four years since this post, I just want to say that I have a constant cough, and I had 4 fractured ribs at one time due to my cough. Not only did it happen once, but twice within a year, lasting a few months to recover doing hardly anything as the pain was so bad. I had been to ER a few times, and even a shot of potent stuff didn't make the pain any less, nor did strong painkillers..Not for me anyway..Worst pain ever!

hi there, ive been suffering with a cough and a cold for nearly 4 weeks now. it started off just as a cold but with a strong cough that stopped me doing some daily activities, after going to the doctors i was told it was a viral chest infection and a cold nd was told they cant prescribe antibiotics for viral infections so have to cope with it but after 2 weeks i woke up with an almighty pain in the left side in the bottom of my rib cage. one night i was lying on the bed with my partner and i physically couldnt move with the pain, went to a and e and they said it was an infection of the lung lining and gave me painkillers but all they have done is given me stomach problems. i cant lie on any other side apart from the one thats hurting nd im in agony trying to do anything.

a "healthy" human cant break a rib from coughing. i notice everyone who claims to have allways start out "one time when i was sick" well duh. you can die "when your sick"

I had a real bad chest cold it lasted almost 2 weeks now I am just caughing when I caught it feels like someone is smashing my ribs with a brick. However they also don't hurt when I'm not caughing like sitting still when I caught most the time I have to hold my fibs itkinda feels like I fractured them could that be possible?

My ribs have been hurting for a long time before I started my coughing fits. I've had coughing fits like this since I was a kid, diagnosed with asthma. I can tell you the ribs can be out of place and can be real pain.  See your Chiropractor for that.  I thought my Chiropractor was Nuts, when he told me I had ribs out of place. But after the adjustment, I had to agree. Second, to control a cough Dr's will give you cough meds with codiene in it.  If you have something of your own over the counter tylonal 1's take 1 or 2 and it'll help calm the cough, and ease the pain. Go to the Dr. if it lasts more than 2 days like this

It HURTS Really BAD !!! I had a bad case of coughing - and, as I'm getting in my Jeep, SNAP - felt as if a rubber band just snapped with pain level to see the stars in the middle of the day !#@$%&* Now, I can not even sleep, pain is the word - gives new meaning to the word OUCH !!! :

mine is the opposite at first it was the left now it is the right, the pain is just below my right breast it happened due to coughing, i had bronchitis for 6 wks. which i've been over for a mth i hold my sneezes b/c i feel like if i sneeze i will blow my rib through my skin or just die, i'm sick of this!! so happy to know i'm not alone, bless you all i pray we all get better