How long does it take bruised or broken ribs to heal?

[Isaiah_41:13]

How long does it take for a bruised or broken rib to heal? my friend got hurt, and she wanted to be able to play soccer soon.... anyone know?

[escape_thereal_world]

Which does she have? A broken rib will take longer to heal than a bruised one. If she bruised it, it could take anywhere between two weeks and several months. It depends where she hit and how hard. So, if she is able to stand the pain she can play soccer now.

If she has either of these though, she needs to see a doctor and the doctor can tell her. Even though doctors won't do much for bruised ribs, they can help with the pain and it's good to see them in case you damaged anything else.

[Isaiah_41:13]

bruised. I took her to the doctors earlier today.

[escape_thereal_world]

Thank you for clarifying. I would say within two weeks she should probably be feeling much less pain. Depending on how hard she hit then she could be healed as soon as a month.

She should be able to play soccer whenever she feels the pain lessen. Bruised ribs aren't anymore fragile than fully healthy ribs. If she has cracked them, that would be a different story though.

[Isaiah_41:13]

out of curiosity, what would have happened if she had cracked them?

[escape_thereal_world]

Well, most fractured (cracked) ribs would just take time to heal at home. You have to be more careful with your activities because usually a fractured/cracked rib will let your lungs get past your rib cage slightly, causing severe pain during breaths and possible trauma to your lung if you were to fall.

The doctor should be able to tell if you have a cracked rib.

[OMFG!You'reActuallySmart!]

I had 2 fractured ribs (floating ribs, lower-most ribs) from a snowboarding accident. At the time I didn't know they were fractured, all I knew is they were hurting something fierce but I kept snowboarding because I thought the pain would soon subside. I stopped snowboarding that day when the pain wasn't easing up, meaning I damaged something so I went to the doctors and sure enough, they were fractured. It took close to a month for them to heal.

I've also had plenty of bruised ribs, part of the joy of full-contact martial arts. They hurt something fierce as well, although the pain subsides sooner and there aren't breathing difficulties. She can play soccer as she wants, it's just going to hurt, especially if she takes further damage.

[Isaiah_41:13]

okay, thanks guys!