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Kurt Darren: 12 facts on broken ribs

www.kurtdarren.co.za
Kurt Darren, well known Afrikaans singer, is in the Intensive Care Unit of the Netcare Milpark Hospital after being involved in a car crash on Sunday morning.

It was initially thought that he had broken his neck, but it turned out that he only fractured eight ribs. This is a common injury sustained in motor vehicle accidents.

What is a rib fracture and how should it be treated? Here are some quick facts:
  • A rib fracture is a crack or break in one or more of your rib bones.
  • Your ribs are the round long bones in your chest that wrap around your upper body. They connect your breastbone to your spine.
  • A rib fracture can be very painful because your ribs move when you breathe, cough and move your upper body.
  • The ribs in the middle of your chest are the ones that break most often.
  • Healing of fractured ribs can take at least six weeks.
  • Unless other organs have been injured, you can heal at home. Most people with broken ribs do not need surgery.
  • If you have broken a rib, doctors will not put bandages or belts around your chest, as this could keep your ribs from moving when you cough or breathe, and may lead to the development of pneumonia.
  • Patients with broken ribs may need prescription painkillers while the bones are healing, as this is a painful condition.
  • Deep-breathing and coughing exercises can help to prevent a collapsed lung or a lung infection.
  • Bed rest is not recommended, but neither is physically strenuous activity.
  • While you heal, avoid movements that put painful pressure on your ribs.
  • Watch out for the side effects of taking pain medication for a prolonged period of time.

 -(Sources: Channel24.com, National Institutes of Health)
 
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