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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
Stay up to date on the latest health information.
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- Free weekly e-newsletter
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- Recipes, tools and other helpful information
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Prevention
By Mayo Clinic staffThe following measures may help you prevent a broken rib:
- Protect yourself from athletic injuries. Wear protective equipment when playing contact sports.
- Take steps to decrease your risk of household falls. Remove clutter from your floors and clean spills promptly, use a rubber mat in the shower, keep your home well lit, and put skid-proof backing on carpets and area rugs.
- Decrease your chance of getting osteoporosis. Getting enough calcium in your diet is important for maintaining strong bones. Aim for about 1,200 milligrams of calcium daily from food and supplements.
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.
