How to Heal a Posterior Rib Fracture

Rib fractures can happen all around the chest cavity. This means you can injure a posterior rib that can be felt in your back just as easily as an anterior rib in your front. Like anything else, posterior rib fractures can range from the relatively minor type, to the very debilitating type. This article will discuss how to heal a relatively minor posterior rib fracture. While it may be painful, healing this injury is actually quite simple.

Things You'll Need

• Ice
• Pain reliever

Show More

Instructions

• 1

  Ice the tender area as soon as you possibly can. This will prevent swelling around the posterior fractured rib and will reduce pain.

• 2

  Take over the counter pain medication such as ibuprofen or aspirin. This will help you heal because your motion and breath will not be restricted by pain.

• 3

  Breathe as deeply as you possibly can stand. This will help place the rib. Every hour you should mimic a cough to aid in the healing as well.

• 4

  Get plenty of rest. Your body needs plenty of sleep to heal after a posterior rib fracture. The more time you give your body to heal and get blood to your fracture, the quicker you will feel better.

• 5

  Be patient. Rib fractures heal on their own time. Typically it will take around 6 weeks to be fully recovered.