Musculoskeletal Health
How to Tell If You Have a Bruised Rib or a Broken Rib
Broken and bruised ribs are both painful. They both cause sharp pain, particularly with deep breaths and certain movements.
It can be hard to tell the difference between a bruised or broken rib by symptoms alone. The easiest way to know for sure is with an X-ray or CT scan.
The treatment for a bruised rib and broken rib is similar. It includes good pain management and deep-breathing exercises to prevent pneumonia.
If you recently injured a rib, you may be wondering if it’s a bruised rib or a broken rib. Both can be really painful, and it can be hard to tell the difference. But does it even matter?
The treatment can look similar. But a broken rib can be associated with some more serious complications. And the recovery time is likely longer. Let’s take a closer look at how you can tell if your rib is bruised or broken, the differences in treatment, and when to go to the hospital.
Both broken ribs and bruised ribs can result from injuries to the chest. They might feel similar, but there are some important differences.
Search and compare options
A bruised rib is an injury to the bone that doesn’t cause a break in the bone. It’s like a typical bruise, except you can’t see it because it’s on the bone. In some cases, you may have a skin bruise in the same area. Rib bruises tend to happen with lower-impact injuries, such as a fall.
A broken (fractured) rib means there’s an actual break in the bone. It’s usually a more serious injury than a bruise. You’re more likely to have a broken rib if the injury involved a lot of force — like a high-speed car accident. A broken rib tends to be more painful, and it may take longer to heal.
Broken ribs can still happen with a low-impact injury — like a simple fall. This can be the case for people with weaker bones, such as older adults with osteoporosis or people who take certain medications.
Since they can feel similar, bruised and broken ribs can be difficult to tell apart. They both cause sharp pain that tends to worsen with any movement of the rib cage. People tend to feel the pain more when doing things like laughing, coughing, or sitting up.
But there are some signs that are more suggestive of a broken rib. You might have a broken rib if you:
Feel a bump or break when you run your finger over the rib
Heard cracking during the injury
Feel cracking when you move or press on the injured area
What is a bone bruise? Just because a bone isn’t broken, doesn’t mean it’s not a serious injury. We explain everything you need to know about bone bruises.
Can you break a rib by coughing? Yes, but it’s not common. Learn what to do if you think you may have injured your rib with coughing.
How do you use an incentive spirometer? These little devices can be lifesaving if you’re recovering from a rib injury. Here’s how to get and use one at home.
If you have these symptoms, consider seeing a healthcare professional. They can help with your pain and make sure your breathing isn’t affected.
Since bruised ribs can feel just like broken ribs, the only way to know for sure if you have a broken rib is with an X-ray or a CT scan.
X-rays of the chest can show if you have broken ribs, though sometimes the breaks can be hard to see this way. This is especially true for very small breaks, or when the X-ray is performed immediately after the injury.
CT scans are better than X-rays at diagnosing rib fractures. They provide a more detailed picture of the ribs and all of the organs inside the chest. But they also involve more radiation exposure than X-rays, so they’re not the first choice for testing. They’re usually used to look for other injuries in addition to rib fractures.
In many cases, neither an X-ray nor a CT scan is needed to help diagnose a broken rib. This will depend on the type of injury, your symptoms, and your other medical conditions.
You may need an imaging study to check for broken ribs if:
You’re an older adult.
You have a chronic lung disease, like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
You have osteoporosis.
The injury seems serious or involves a lot of force.
You’re having trouble breathing, or your oxygen levels are low.
You’re in severe pain.
The main treatment for a bruised or broken rib is time. But there are things you can do to help the pain as your bone heals:
Over-the-counter (OTC) pain relievers like ibuprofen or acetaminophen can be really helpful. And these medications can be taken together for added effect.
Using an ice pack on the injured area can also help with pain. This is most likely to be helpful in the first 48 hours of the injury.
If the pain is more severe, your healthcare professional might recommend prescription pain medications.
Bruised or broken ribs aren’t usually serious. But there are some complications that can develop. These can include:
Intense pain that oral medication can’t control
Any bleeding in or around the lung
A collapsed lung (pneumothorax), which can be a complication of rib fractures
Pneumonia
It’s really important that your pain is controlled so you can continue to take deep breaths — otherwise you may be at risk for pneumonia. If your pain is severe enough to limit your breathing, your lungs don’t fully expand. This deflates the bottom parts of your lung, which can lead to pneumonia.
Pneumonia leads to coughing, more pain, and low oxygen levels. It’s hard to recover from pneumonia at the best of times, but it’s even harder when you have a rib fracture.
In addition to good pain management, you can lower your risk of pneumonia by doing the following:
Practice deep-breathing exercises. This requires taking several deep breaths every hour to keep your lungs inflated. Some people will use a special device called an incentive spirometer to help with this.
Avoid wrapping the chest. Some people are tempted to do this to try and brace the ribs. This is not recommended because it can restrict your ability to take a deep breath. If you need to cough or move in a certain way that you know will be painful, you can temporarily brace the chest with your hand or a pillow to help.
In most cases, people will recover with bruised or broken ribs at home. But in more serious cases, someone with broken ribs may need treatment in the hospital.
If you have a bruised or broken rib, you should go to the hospital if you have:
Pain that prevents you from taking a deep breath
Pain that feels like it’s getting worse rather than better
Shortness of breath
Fever
New cough or congestion
The time it takes to heal a rib injury depends on how serious the injury is, your age, and your other medical conditions. A bruised rib can take anywhere from 2 to 6 weeks to fully heal. A broken rib can take a little longer. Most broken ribs will heal within 6 weeks, but more serious injuries can take up to 3 months.
If you recently had a rib injury and the rib pain feels like it’s getting worse, this could be because you are not allowing proper recovery for the area to start to heal. Strain from something like strenuous exercise may increase the pain and inflammation in the area right after the injury.
Worsening rib pain may also be a sign of a complication from a rib injury, such as bleeding around the lung, a collapsed lung, or pneumonia. So it’s important not to ignore any worsening pain — especially if it’s affecting your breathing. See a healthcare professional right away.
Many people find it more comfortable to sit up rather than lay down with broken ribs. Sitting in a semi-upright position:
Helps to alleviate pressure on the rib, which can make the pain and breathing worse
Allows you to brace the area with a pillow when taking deep breaths or coughing
Keeps the lungs well aerated, which can help prevent pneumonia
If you have a broken rib, you shouldn’t do the following:
Don’t intentionally take shallow breaths. It’s important to take deep breaths to keep your oxygen levels normal and prevent complications like pneumonia.
Avoid wrapping the chest or using a restrictive brace. This can affect your ability to take a deep breath.
Don’t play contact sports right after the injury.
Avoid any heavy labor or lifting right after the injury.
A heating pad is unlikely to help a bruised or broken rib. In the first 48 hours after the injury, icing the area may help relieve some of the pain. Further along in the recovery process, there’s nothing harmful about using a heating pad if you feel like it helps you move and breathe more easily.
If you recently had a rib injury and the rib pain feels like it’s getting worse, this could be because you are not allowing proper recovery for the area to start to heal. Strain from something like strenuous exercise may increase the pain and inflammation in the area right after the injury.
Worsening rib pain may also be a sign of a complication from a rib injury, such as bleeding around the lung, a collapsed lung, or pneumonia. So it’s important not to ignore any worsening pain — especially if it’s affecting your breathing. See a healthcare professional right away.
Many people find it more comfortable to sit up rather than lay down with broken ribs. Sitting in a semi-upright position:
Helps to alleviate pressure on the rib, which can make the pain and breathing worse
Allows you to brace the area with a pillow when taking deep breaths or coughing
Keeps the lungs well aerated, which can help prevent pneumonia
If you have a broken rib, you shouldn’t do the following:
Don’t intentionally take shallow breaths. It’s important to take deep breaths to keep your oxygen levels normal and prevent complications like pneumonia.
Avoid wrapping the chest or using a restrictive brace. This can affect your ability to take a deep breath.
Don’t play contact sports right after the injury.
Avoid any heavy labor or lifting right after the injury.
A heating pad is unlikely to help a bruised or broken rib. In the first 48 hours after the injury, icing the area may help relieve some of the pain. Further along in the recovery process, there’s nothing harmful about using a heating pad if you feel like it helps you move and breathe more easily.
Broken and bruised ribs can be painful, and sometimes they can feel the same. Both types of injuries will often heal on their own with the help of pain medication in a few weeks. If you hurt your ribs, make sure you’re taking deep breaths to avoid health complications that can result from shallow breathing. If you’re having intense pain or are having any trouble breathing, you should get medical care right away.
Baiu, I., et al. (2019). Rib fractures. JAMA.
MedlinePlus. (2024). Rib fracture - aftercare.
U.K. National Health Service. (2024). Broken or bruised ribs.
