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Housecall Archives
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Housecall, our weekly general-interest e-newsletter, keeps you up to date on a wide variety of health topics with timely, reliable, practical information, recipes, blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts and more. Our biweekly topic-specific e-newsletters also include blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts, and other useful information that will help you manage your health.
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Mayo Clinic Housecall
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Causes
By Mayo Clinic staffBroken ribs can be caused by direct impact or repetitive trauma.
Direct impact
- Motor vehicle accidents
- Falls
- Child abuse
- Contact sports
Repetitive trauma
- Sports such as baseball, basketball, golf or rowing
- Severe and prolonged coughing spells
References
- Eckstein M, et al. Thoracic trauma. In: Marx JA, et al. Rosen's Emergency Medicine: Concepts and Clinical Practice. 6th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Mosby Elsevier; 2006. Accessed Jan. 19, 2009.
- Karlson KA. Rib fractures. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Jan. 19, 2009.
- Mazzocca AD, et al. Sternum and rib fractures in adults and children. In: DeLee JC, et al. DeLee and Drez's Orthopaedic Sports Medicine. 2nd ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2003. Accessed Jan. 19, 2009.
- Preventing falls and related fractures. National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. http://www.niams.nih.gov/Health_Info/Bone/Osteoporosis/Fracture/preventing_falls.pdf. Accessed Jan. 19, 2009.
- Neurological diagnostic tests and procedures. National Institutes of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/misc/diagnostic_tests.htm. Accessed Jan. 20, 2009.
- Dictionary of cancer terms: Bone scan. National Cancer Institute. http://www.cancer.gov/Templates/db_alpha.aspx?CdrID=46499. Accessed Jan. 20, 2009.
