Mr. Nie, a 30-year-old from Shenzhen, had a cough that lasted for a month after a flu bout.
"At first, it was just a cough, and I thought that my body would repair itself after a while, but I didn't expect it to get worse the more it dragged on. Every time I coughed, my chest hurt so much that I felt like I had been hit with a hammer. Mr. Nie recalled.
The doctor noticed that under normal conditions, Mr. Nie only had a slight pain in his chest, but the pain would be significantly worse when he coughed or pressed. After further CT examination, Mr. Nie found that the fifth and sixth ribs on the right side were fractured.
The doctor explained that a rib fracture, unlike other fractures, does not bear weight, so it is usually not painful at rest. However, pain can occur when the ribs are pressed or when the ribs are moved greatly, such as coughing or taking deep breaths.
"Coughing up broken ribs is more common in older patients with osteoporosis. A young, normal-shaped, well-balanced patient like Mr. Nie is a rare case, possibly due to fatigue fractures caused by repeated stretching of the rib cage due to a cough that lasts for too long. The doctor said.
Fortunately, after treatment, Mr. Nie's cough symptoms were significantly relieved, and the fracture site gradually healed.
A search on the Internet found that similar cases are not unique:
In January this year, a 33-year-old female patient in Ningbo suffered a rib fracture due to a violent cough. To confirm the diagnosis, the doctor prescribed a CT scan of the ribs, which showed fractures of the 7th and 8th anterior ribs on the right side.
▲ The circle of friends of the attending doctor
In 2022, a 35-year-old woman in Xiangyang suffered from a cold and felt severe pain in her right chest after a violent cough. Then, with every cough, his chest was cut like a knife.
Doctors came to the clinic and suspected a rib fracture. Color ultrasound showed that the cortex of the 9th and 10th ribs on the right side of the woman was discontinuous, and the fracture was diagnosed.
The doctor reminded that repeated and severe coughing will affect rest and life, and even cause complications such as bronchial mucosal rupture, pneumothorax, and rib fractures.
Chronic cough does not heal for a long time, and some cough suppressants are needed after the cause is identified. Peripheral or central antitussive drugs can be used for a short period of time according to the doctor's instructions, combined with antihistamines plus decongestants, such as compound methoxamine.
In addition, coughing is both a "strength job" and a "technical job". Mastering the correct way of coughing can help the discharge of secretions and sputum from the distal airway, and can also avoid coughing too violently and causing fractures, pneumothorax, etc.:
● Choose a sitting position, put your feet on the ground, lean forward slightly, take several slow deep breaths, then take a deep breath, and then quickly open your mouth to make 2~3 short and powerful coughs. When coughing, press on the upper abdomen with your own hand to help cough;
● When coughing, you can hold your hands in front of your chest or wrap a pillow around you, which can slow down the stretching of the pectoralis muscles;
● For people who have difficulty coughing up sputum, such as the elderly and frail patients, they can be patted on the back with the help of others when coughing, that is, using a hollow palm to gradually pat from the periphery of the back to the center to promote better coughing up of phlegm. (According to Red Star News)