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 Sweet Lil Tagalong
Posts: 670
  
Location: taking the road less traveled... | I was recently involved in a horse oops and broke 2 ribs, punctured my lung, and have a displaced fracture in my shoulder blade. Yes, ouch I know! It was a freak accident, I was exercising my horse in the pasture and a fish, yes a big fish jumped out the pond and caught my horse and me off guard. He spun around to see what it was and I fell off. He is 16.3 and very quick and catty lol. I have been riding horses for 23 years and something like this has never happened. I wish it would have been a cool story like he bucked like the NFR stock, but nope, pay attention when riding at all times no matter what horse or where you are riding.
Anyways, if anyone has any advice for dealing with these injuries, please give me some advice. I am so ready to start back riding and it just happened 9 days ago. |
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Expert
Posts: 1488
| The only thing that will heal broken ribs is time.
It sucks, been there, but time really does heal all wounds.
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 A Somebody to Everybody
Posts: 41354
Location: Under The Big Sky Of Texas | Oh my gosh you poor thing, but thats a good story to about the fish jumping, its a bit strange sounding but good  . Just rest yourself and dont be riding any to soon. This is a big OUCH.  |
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  Sock eating dog owner
Posts: 4553
Location: Where the pavement ends and the West begins Utah | Sorry You'll have to stay off for a few months. I say this cause it is very important that those ribs don't go through the other lung. If your lung didn't collapse you are very lucky. Mine collapsed and the attending nurse wouldn't provide me with help lucky for me the Doctor was making the rounds and put me under to reflate it. you don't want to go through that. Find yourself a recliner and stay put. Ribs don't heal like other bones and there is no way to stablize them. Find some videos and good books and chill cause that is about all you can do. Turn your horse out to pasture. Hang in there it SUCKS  |
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| cow pie - 2013-12-02 11:25 PM
Sorry You'll have to stay off for a few months. I say this cause it is very important that those ribs don't go through the other lung. If your lung didn't collapse you are very lucky. Mine collapsed and the attending nurse wouldn't provide me with help lucky for me the Doctor was making the rounds and put me under to reflate it. you don't want to go through that. Find yourself a recliner and stay put. Ribs don't heal like other bones and there is no way to stablize them. Find some videos and good books and chill cause that is about all you can do. Turn your horse out to pasture. Hang in there it SUCKS
GOOD ADVICE ... A COMFORTABLE RECLINER IS YOUR BEST FRIEND!! |
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Sweet Lil Tagalong
Posts: 670
Location: taking the road less traveled... | Thank you for your help!! The recliner has been my friend! Lucky for me, it was my left side and I am right handed so thats the positive and that I am still able to wake up everyday and I will heal! God is good all the time! I guess I can just watch the NFR and Oklahoma City webcast, so at least I have some good stuff to watch soon! I go to the doctor tomorrow to find out answers (hopefully) to all my questions. Thanks again! |
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Sock Snob
Posts: 3021
| I had the same thing happen to me back in august was purple from my bra strap under my arm half way down my leg. I did not feel good nor could i take a deep breath but i did not mis a beat, kept on going. Was about 10 days before i rode again. Was about 6 weeks before i felt better. |
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 BHW Resident Surgeon
Posts: 25351
Location: Bastrop, Texas | Don't be foolish. What's the rush? Rib fractures are notoriously slow to heal because it's impossible to "immobilize" ribs, unless of course you aren't breathing. The last thing you need is to act tough and go out somewhere and pop another pneumothorax which could be life threatening. Also, if you broke your scapula as well, that tells me you took a helluva wallop, because the scapula is one of the strongest bones in the body and it takes a lot of force to fracture a scapula. In human trauma, if someone fractures a scapula in a car accident, that is an automatic admission to the hospital, because the incidence of underlying injury to the heart and blood vessels is significantly higher.
If I saw you in the ER with a scapular fracture, I wouldn't let you go home without a CT of your chest, and even then I probably wouldn't let you go. You will be sore for a minimum of a month, and you might even feel the broken rib ends grinding from time to time even that far out. Sometimes it takes a good couple months before you are pain free. Be smart.....take a few weeks off. Riding a horse while you are experiencing pain from an injury is risky, not necessarily because of the injury itself, but because your ability to react quickly when a horse jigs or shys can be impaired because of pain. Then you might very well wind up with a skull fracture. If someone has had a hernia repair, I advise them not to drive until they are pain free, for the same reason. A painful groin might delay a person's reaction to hit the brakes in time. |
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 Expert
Posts: 1304
| Prayers you start feeling better!!! |
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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 357
| I broke my some ribs in a horse wreck too. My best advise is to wrap them tight and avoid anything that is going to make you sneeze. That will be very painful and put you to your knees. It took me about two weeks to get back on my horse but I still keep them wrapped and wore a back brace when I ran at show for a couple more weeks. It keeps you from leaning forward to much but my ribs I broke were on my side and back. I broke a wood post in half with my body. I still get pain there in the winter and it has heen a good three years now. Wish you a speedy recovery |
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 Veteran
Posts: 113
Location: Tx | I was bucked off in Jan '13 and broke my clavicle into 4 pieces and broke 2 ribs. They needed to do surgery to put my collar bone back together about 10 days after the accident. A 6 inch metal plate and 9 screws later and my clavicle still healed faster than my ribs! I was back on a horse in about 2 weeks after the surgery but didnt compete until about 6 to 8 weeks after. They hurt for about 6 months after. I should have just been patient and let them heal but I was stubborn, hard headed and bored. I wanted to ride.
ETA- I also had a 16 month old and 3 yo that wanted to be held and didnt rest like I should have.
Get your rest and dont rush it. Let your body heal! |
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Veteran
Posts: 113
Location: Tx | bbennington - 2013-12-03 9:33 AM I broke my some ribs in a horse wreck too. My best advise is to wrap them tight and avoid anything that is going to make you sneeze. That will be very painful and put you to your knees. It took me about two weeks to get back on my horse but I still keep them wrapped and wore a back brace when I ran at show for a couple more weeks. It keeps you from leaning forward to much but my ribs I broke were on my side and back. I broke a wood post in half with my body. I still get pain there in the winter and it has heen a good three years now. Wish you a speedy recovery
^^^^^^ LOL- Yep, Definitely this! |
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BHW Resident Surgeon
Posts: 25351
Location: Bastrop, Texas | bbennington - 2013-12-03 9:33 AM I broke my some ribs in a horse wreck too. My best advise is to wrap them tight and avoid anything that is going to make you sneeze. That will be very painful and put you to your knees. It took me about two weeks to get back on my horse but I still keep them wrapped and wore a back brace when I ran at show for a couple more weeks. It keeps you from leaning forward to much but my ribs I broke were on my side and back. I broke a wood post in half with my body. I still get pain there in the winter and it has heen a good three years now. Wish you a speedy recovery
Please don't do this. This is bad advice. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 357
| How is my advise bad? This is what two doctors told me do when I broke them. I didnt keep them wrapped 24/7..
Ok ignore my advise. Everything I said is bad. Just do the opposite of everything I said.
Just sharing from my experience and what I was told to do from back doctor and normal doctor. Like I said mine were more in my back.
Edited by bbennington 2013-12-03 10:36 AM
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BHW Resident Surgeon
Posts: 25351
Location: Bastrop, Texas | bbennington - 2013-12-03 10:20 AM How is my advise bad? This is what two doctors told me do when I broke them. I didnt keep them wrapped 24/7..
Your doctors were dead wrong. Wrapping rib fractures has gone out of vogue 40 years ago. The reason wrapping is ill-advised is because it actually restricts your respiratory function and impairs your ability to breathe deep or cough whenever it's needed. Studies have shown that "wrapping" rib fractures leads to an increase in pneumonia. If you think rib fractures are a picnic, try getting pneumonia on top of that. You want to be able to cough if your body is telling you to cough. Coughing is an important reflex. The best thing you can do with rib fractures is give it time and plenty of good pain medicine.....top shelf stuff. This is one area where I am not stingy with pain meds. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 357
| I didnt say so tight you couldnt breathe or cough..
This helped me and that was all I was saying. Thanks |
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BHW Resident Surgeon
Posts: 25351
Location: Bastrop, Texas | bbennington - 2013-12-03 10:49 AM I didnt say so tight you couldnt breathe or cough.. This helped me and that was all I was saying. Thanks
And I am just saying that this is not a good idea. I don't want others to take your advice. I'm glad it felt like it worked for you, but your docs were wrong. I hope people don't follow your advice, that's all. Makes no difference to me, personally. |
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 Expert
Posts: 1218
Location: Great NW | OUCH and DOUBLE ouch! yep that move can get the best of us at one time or another. and better yet when you went off I bet he just stood there and looked at you too. |
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 Scorpions R Us
Posts: 9586
Location: So. Cali. | Ouch!!!
I had a slip last July in my backyard, horses backend went out from her around a barrel, I fell forward and slammed my ribs into my horn. Had xrays and altho red, swollen, and painful, they could not see any breaks. However, I believe its hard to always find them on your ribs so they advised me to still treat it as if it was.
By far, one of the worset things to injure that I have experienced. I could not get comfortable, even laying down hurt!! I found a heating pad before bed seemed to really help. And when I did get back to riding eventually yes I did get a rib brace and wear it my first rides and runs back. I tried to rush into riding thinking I was feeling better, and minutes into the ride wanted to throw up. I just worked them on the ground so that they were ready when I was.
Heal fast and take care of yourself!
Edited by Three*C*Champs 2013-12-03 11:55 AM
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Expert
Posts: 1531
Location: Oklahoma | Have done the scapula thing twice in same spot .. Sternum once and other ribs several times. 3-6 months.. And those first 3 months will be no lifting or using those parts at all.Sorry that is just the way it is.. very painful and very slow healing. |
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Mrs. Troy
Location: western Nebraska | I can definitely relate to all of this. In 2011 my horse fell at a rodeo July 2. I broke 9 ribs, my foot, messed up my shoulder and neck. All on the left side. I finally started to feel really good again this spring. So the first of May I get bucked off. I did the tuck and roll and thought "great I am ok." I stood up and my right arm was just hanging down and I had a huge swelling on my shoulder. I broke two ribs, my collarbone in two places and my shoulder blade in 8 pieces. I now have more screws and plates than a car! I slept in the recliner for months and months and now I am on the couch. I don't know when I will be able to sleep in the bed. I am much better and have been riding now since Sept but not very good.
You need to take time to heal up because I may have started back too soon. I still hurt a lot! |
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Duct Tape Bikini Girl
Posts: 2554
| So sorry about your accident! I had a jumping accident back in '98 where I landed on my head with such force I ruptured my spleen, broke my left collarbone and broke and damaged all my left ribs (helmet didn't protect ribs much). Had neck surgery last July to correct more damage from that same accident. I agree with one of your replies for sure! A recliner is your best friend!!!! |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 721
Location: The Great West | Have you been to your chiropractor? If not go. They can set your ribs so they heal faster and are less painful, did wonders for my husband
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Veteran
Posts: 182
| I feel your pain!!! I broke 3 ribs 4 weeks ago. My mare did buck like a bronc and I hit the ground so hard it broke the underwire in my bra!! A few days later I moved wrong and ended up with a small puncture in my lung. I'm right handed and luckily my broken ribs are on my left side. I just now started driving myself. Turning the steering wheel makes me very sore. I have been taking it very easy as I want to heal and be done with this so I can get back to riding.
Both the ER doc and my physician told me to not wrap the ribs. However a sports bra helps a little during the day. If you have any Back On Track leg wraps put them under the sports bra for a few hours a day. It really helps with the pain. Mine are broken directly at and under my left breast. Still hurts to lay on my back but gets a little better each day as long as I don't over do. Good luck and let them heal or you will regret it. Had to turn my horses out and they are FAT but once I heal I will just get them back in shape and myself too!
One more thing, my chiropractor will not touch my ribs or my back until they are healed. He feels it is too dangerous.
Edited by ktbracer 2013-12-03 9:33 PM
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 Ace Ventura Pet Detective
Posts: 2409
Location: Wisconsin | Good Grief, i displaced 5 ribs and 2 of them up to 3/4 of an inch apart. I couldnt even get out of bed by myself for 3 weeks! I thought there was something else wrong it hurt so bad. I cant imagine after 9 days getting back on. It took me 3 months! |
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Ace Ventura Pet Detective
Posts: 2409
Location: Wisconsin | HotbearLVR - 2013-12-03 10:09 AM bbennington - 2013-12-03 9:33 AM I broke my some ribs in a horse wreck too. My best advise is to wrap them tight and avoid anything that is going to make you sneeze. That will be very painful and put you to your knees. It took me about two weeks to get back on my horse but I still keep them wrapped and wore a back brace when I ran at show for a couple more weeks. It keeps you from leaning forward to much but my ribs I broke were on my side and back. I broke a wood post in half with my body. I still get pain there in the winter and it has heen a good three years now. Wish you a speedy recovery Please don't do this. This is bad advice.
Thank you scott! I was airlifted to Mayo Trauma unit..thats what i thought they did, wrap them...but NOPE absolutely not. It did fee better to put a sports bra and a snug tank top, but that was it! I was warned by the Doctors!! |
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Broken Ribs....yuck!