How can you treat sore ribs?

Doctor Peter Lewis takes the time to answer some of the common fighter questions we get asked here at International Kickboxer.

Q. Is there anything you can do to help sore ribs? What is the best way to treat them?

I often have fighters coming in with chest soreness. They often come in a few days after the injury. It is really common that they cannot remember exactly when the blow landed. In most cases the cause of the pain is a broken rib. The fighter is often surprised to hear that they have a fracture and they were hoping that it was a muscle strain.

The classic features of a rib fracture rather than a muscle strain are that a rib fracture often does not hurt initially and the pain peaks at about 2-3 days later. The pain is often worst at night when rolling over in bed. Running is very painful. The pain reduces dramatically at about 17 days post-injury. X-rays often do not show rib fractures so I usually do not order them.

The key to treatment is often to help with a training program that allows the fighter to stay fit while the rib is healing and to plan when they can get back to sparring and competition. There is no specific treatment for rib fractures. Taping does not work. The rib is nearly as good as new after three months. Occasionally for big fights, I inject local anesthetic around the rib, but this is not without risks. I

Read more training articles or check out our Australian gym guide. Don't forget to like us on Facebook!