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Complications
By Mayo Clinic staff
Broken ribs that are in more than one piece, as opposed to just being cracked, can injure blood vessels and internal organs. The risk increases with the number of broken ribs. Complications vary depending on which ribs have been broken. To aid in identification, ribs are numbered sequentially from the top down.
Upper ribs
It takes more force to break any of your first three ribs, because they're protected by your collarbone and shoulder blades. But if one of these upper ribs is broken, a jagged edge can pierce a major blood vessel, such as the aorta.
Middle ribs
Your middle ribs are the most likely to be broken by blunt trauma. The broken ends of these ribs can cause bleeding or puncture your lung and cause it to collapse.
Lower ribs
Your bottom two ribs are less likely to break, because they aren't attached to your breastbone (sternum) and this makes them more flexible. But if any of your lower ribs do break, the broken ends can cause serious damage to your spleen, liver or kidneys.
- 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.
