Exercise with Fractured Rib

mytyglotz

Are there any exercises that are safe to do with a fractured rib (specifically for someone with osteoporosis)?

How can I stay fit and avoid muscle loss/fat gain while I'm sidelined?

If my activity level on MyFitnessPal is set to "sedentary" and I consume the recommended daily calories, will that allow me to at least maintain my weight, even while literally sitting all day long?

As of a trip to Urgent Care and an x-ray on Wednesday (January 18th), I have a nondisplaced fractured rib (the ninth right lateral rib).
This came as a great surprise to me and the attending doctor, as I don't even know what I did to cause this -- I didn't fall and I don't recall any blow to my ribcage. The first relative sign of pain I can pinpoint was felt when I was shopping and reaching over a cart just two days earlier.
However, I do know my bone health is poor; despite my young age I have osteoporosis.

Along with fearing movement - period - my greatest fear right now is losing any progress I might have made and (forgive me for sounding melodramatic, but) turning into a blob and needing to begin again.

I want to add to this by saying I am not seeking personalized medical advice here - I know this is not the place for that, and I am trying to communicate with my physician to address my concerns.
I just really appreciate any educated advice, counsel, personal experiences, or even just some extra encouragement that you all might have to offer.

Stay strong, Team
And thank you for everything.

tbilly20

You hit the first point. Glad you are working with your physician. I have broken lots of ribs! About ten over the years. The pain is usually bad when you have multiples. Awful when you sneeze or cough, and it makes it tough to sleep on one side at night.

I have always found (indoor) cycling to be great with a broken rib. Don’t ride outside, as a fall could further damage your ribs. Something about the positioning on a bike has always worked well for me with those injuries. If the intensity gets too much, and it hurts to breathe, scale it back some.

As long as your break is non-displaced, and you aren’t at risk to fall, I would say that MZ relatively safe. As a caveat, I continued to ride against Dr’s orders with a broken collarbone and broken pelvis on separate occasions. If you are willing to take the risk, it just boils down to your tolerance for pain.

GummiMundi

mytyglotz wrote: »

If my activity level on MyFitnessPal is set to "sedentary" and I consume the recommended daily calories, will that allow me to at least maintain my weight, even while literally sitting all day long?

I'm not qualified to give medical advice, and I'm very glad you're working with your doctor through this.
I just wanted to reply to this specific part of your post: yes, if you're set on MFP as sedentary and pick a goal to maintain, as long as you stay within your calories you shouldn't gain any weight.
Please be careful, broken ribs are nothing to play around with. It's best to stop your fitness progress for a few weeks and later go back to exercise in full safety, than to risk further injuries which could be a much bigger obstacle down the road.

sijomial

You are able to judge your particular situation far better than me but maybe my experience might help?

I found getting my cracked ribs strapped/taped massively reduced the pain - I was clattered during a game of touch rugby but the tackler's interpretation of touch was a bit liberal.....
Up to the point they were strapped they only hurt when I breathed!

I could cycle, walking was OK but tripping up a broken flagstone was very painful. No upper body exercise was possible for a week - but nothing significant happens in a week so please don't fear short periods of inactivity.

"If my activity level on MyFitnessPal is set to "sedentary" and I consume the recommended daily calories, will that allow me to at least maintain my weight, even while literally sitting all day long?" - setting yourself to sedentary AND with a goal of maintain current weight would seem entirely appropriate. If your food logging is accurate you shouldn't be far off.

Chieflrg

Maybe, maybe not.

Personally I've squatting a record in PL with a separate intercoastal ribs.

I've also squatted a gym PR with cracked rib(s) twice.

Assuming your medical physician is well versed of one of the benefits of resistance training is improved bone density as well as all the other benefits he/she rather you train than not. What is in your best interest is a decision you and a medical advisor that you trust can make considering you medical history.

NorthCascades

sijomial wrote: »

You are able to judge your particular situation far better than me but maybe my experience might help?

I found getting my cracked ribs strapped/taped massively reduced the pain - I was clattered during a game of touch rugby but the tackler's interpretation of touch was a bit liberal.....
Up to the point they were strapped they only hurt when I breathed!

I could cycle, walking was OK but tripping up a broken flagstone was very painful. No upper body exercise was possible for a week - but nothing significant happens in a week so please don't fear short periods of inactivity.

"If my activity level on MyFitnessPal is set to "sedentary" and I consume the recommended daily calories, will that allow me to at least maintain my weight, even while literally sitting all day long?" - setting yourself to sedentary AND with a goal of maintain current weight would seem entirely appropriate. If your food logging is accurate you shouldn't be far off.

I've broken ribs twice in my life, about 20 years apart. I hope I'm done with that sort of thing, but I'm going to remember what you just said. Everybody should, it intuitively doesn't seem like a good idea so I never tried it.

Did you sleep like that? Getting up and down from bed was horrible.

Diatonic12

I was running down the driveway at a fast clip with the snow shovel right next to ribs and hit a seam in the concrete and put the shovel through my ribs. It took a year for them to heal. I had to sleep sitting up and after weeks I longed for the bed but rolling in and out on my side, pulling myself up to a standing position was sheer misery. This went on and on. It took a year for them to completely heal. Lesson learned: Never hold the shovel next to your ribs. I still have to shovel snow but I am very careful. Your body is going to dictate what you can and cannot do. You need to heal. Find a swimming pool if you can and edge your way back slowly.

sijomial

NorthCascades wrote: »

sijomial wrote: »

You are able to judge your particular situation far better than me but maybe my experience might help?

I found getting my cracked ribs strapped/taped massively reduced the pain - I was clattered during a game of touch rugby but the tackler's interpretation of touch was a bit liberal.....
Up to the point they were strapped they only hurt when I breathed!

I could cycle, walking was OK but tripping up a broken flagstone was very painful. No upper body exercise was possible for a week - but nothing significant happens in a week so please don't fear short periods of inactivity.

"If my activity level on MyFitnessPal is set to "sedentary" and I consume the recommended daily calories, will that allow me to at least maintain my weight, even while literally sitting all day long?" - setting yourself to sedentary AND with a goal of maintain current weight would seem entirely appropriate. If your food logging is accurate you shouldn't be far off.

I've broken ribs twice in my life, about 20 years apart. I hope I'm done with that sort of thing, but I'm going to remember what you just said. Everybody should, it intuitively doesn't seem like a good idea so I never tried it.

Did you sleep like that? Getting up and down from bed was horrible.

@NorthCascades
The taping was many, many layers thick and stayed on 24 x 7 for about a week - wish I had shaved my chest better though!
Felt quite awkward but that feeling was a reminder to be sensible.

Would say that there's a big range of rib injuries and I've had other minor ones where it only hurt at full lung expansion or when sneezing and just required being cautious for a while.

rosebarnalice

Ow! Swimming?
I've lived through broken ribs (and toes, and ankle and knee surgery and now an arthritic hip and shoulder). I could swim or do some kind of modified water aerobic workout through all of those issues.