# How long to recover from a bruised rib?



## switters (Feb 18, 2017)

Hit some ice, went airborne, landed on my left side on a bump. Could hardly breathe for first 5-10 min, ended up going down on the toboggan and then in the ambulance to the ER. Either cracked or bruised ribs, lung contusion, hurts like hell.

Just wondering if anyone else has gone through this and how long it took you to get back on the mountain? Have another snow trip planned in 3 weeks, hoping I won't have to cancel.


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## Motogp990 (Mar 10, 2013)

A pint of beer and 1 good night's sleep 

But to be serious, as long as you're not playing a contact sport, for the most part, if it's just a bruise it's about pain tolerance imo.

Maybe hold off on doing the triple corks in the park or bx racing but you should be ok putting your way down groomers. 

I'm a huge "walk it off" believer and pretty much most of my injuries, I felt the best remedy was to get back on the hill but obv taking it easy and let snowboarding heal me 

Gl


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## switters (Feb 18, 2017)

Motogp990 said:


> A pint of beer and 1 good night's sleep
> 
> But to be serious, as long as you're not playing a contact sport, for the most part, if it's just a bruise it's about pain tolerance imo.
> 
> ...


I like your thinking!

I'm all for sucking it up but the problem is right now I can barely stand up from sitting or sit down from standing without stabbing/spasm pain. Hoping that passes relatively soon. I don't mind a little soreness or pain, just don't want to make it worse.


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## Damaged (Feb 23, 2013)

similar thing just happened to me 4 days ago on Valentines day. caught my edge and then a stick in my pocket dug into my ribs when I fell. I was able to ride down but it hurt to take deep breaths and even burp or hiccup. I went to the urgent care and they said I didn't have a fracture. I got a little bruise where it hurts. I've been taking ibuprofen 800 mg three times a day, icing my rib and taking Tylenol 1000 mg in between ibuprofen. I was already feeling pretty good today although I still had some mild soreness. Today was a POW day so I couldn't resist riding. I went out and rode pretty normally for like 3 hours until I probably pushed it too much. I took some jumps and fell down because I'm not used to landing in POW. Ribs started to hurt like hell again and it was only worsened by having to put off those tire chains in the snow. Gonna do the same regimen again. not saying i recommend riding ASAP, but if you heal up ok I think 3 weeks is more than enough time. Next time I'm gonna wear my chest/back protector.


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## Deacon (Mar 2, 2013)

If bruised, not fractured ribs, are keeping you off the hill (or apparently medicating your kidney to death), def get some rib protection. Everybody has a different pain tolerance, and although my instinct is to ridicule and shame you both, I'm trying to be nicer. :hairy:


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## motleybeast (Mar 25, 2015)

For me, it was just under a couple of months until I was 100% right. Basically, as the others have said, its all about pain management and whatever works for you, or doesn't!! If it hurts that much when you're doing something, stop. But yeah, keep moving about. You'll find things get easier over time (a few weeks). Then one day, you'll be like, oh, I'm ok.

The first time I bruised a rib, I was snowboarding. Luckily it was towards the end of the trip. I carried on but I wasn't happy, just took it easy. It hurt to even breath in deeply. Laughing, sneezing all really painful! And from memory, I think somebody had to lift my bags at the airport. Oops!

Oh well, cant make an omelette without breaking some eggs. And as they say here, she'll be right!!


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## t21 (Dec 29, 2010)

I took about a two weekends for me(i'm old and a weekend warrior :embarrased1 but i kept working and i'm always moving at work so it it helped stretching it. Sleeping was a bitch though:grin:I just rode cautiously once i went back up. Goodluck on healing and get some rib protection cuz it could happen again.


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## poutanen (Dec 22, 2011)

I'm two weeks into recovering from this:









I'll let you know how it goes. Planning on riding 7 days straight starting next Monday... Currently I can sit up in bed without help from the wife anymore, so that's a plus.


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## wrathfuldeity (Oct 5, 2007)

Pout, ouch how that happen?


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## poutanen (Dec 22, 2011)

At Kicking Horse, last run after a week of lessons. Decided to take a detour through a gully, saw what looked like a stream underneath so I decided to traverse out of the gully, came over a lip and there was a log across my path, with no way over or around it. Took it on the body.

I was going too fast for the terrain, but after a week of hard riding my confidence was better than my eyesight!


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## virtu (Jan 22, 2016)

I didn't had a bruised or broken rib, but I had a huge impact 1 week ago on my left upper chest, left ribs, left shoulder, and left upper back (almost all my left upper body).

I could barely move my arm, could barely twist my body, and after 3 to 4 days I recovered all my movements, but the pain didn't went away.

Yesterday I was in Kicking Horse and I had to respect my body and support some pain, but doing this I spent more energy than usual and around 2pm I was tired that barely could go down anymore.

Now I am going to give at least 2 weeks to heal myself better and then hit the snow again, where still has snow.


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