Hi! Hope this isn't a stupid question. A few weeks ago I flung myself into my handlebars and have obviously injured my chest in some way. Went to the A&E and x-ray said nothing broken thankfully. It's the left side ribs, sometimes the pain is under or behind the breast (so glad this is a girl's site!) or sometimes more towards under the armpit, sharp pain sometimes. The pain did wane after the first week but now wants to come back, sometimes worse than others and it's migrating around different bits just to keep it interesting I suppose. ;) I figure I just bruised various parts good and proper. Should I refrain from riding? (yes, probably - though riding on Sunday didn't hurt or seem to make it worse after) Would some gentler road riding be okay? (Just for getting around, no tours or anything) Since coughing, sleeping positions, sneezing (the worst!) seem to aggravate it how long does this area usually take to heal?

Sorry to ramble on. Just getting frustrated. I'm very impatient. :)

Im no medical expert but hope you have a speedy recovery. AM

Hi Tina, sorry to hear you still hurt. Bruising can be a bugger ! I fell off my bike a few years ago and face planted good and proper. The bruising on my knee and back of leg (pedal dug in) honestly lasted for a year. I couldn't believe it so went to my docs and he said it can take that long (I honestly couldn't kneel without being in agony for nearly 18 months - what a wimp!!). So yes, bruising can rear its ugly head and stay with you for a while. If you are really worried go back to the A&E, things do get missed. My hubbie was once sent home with a broken wrist and got a panic call from the Hospital 4 days later asking him to come in and get plastered !!! Hope I am not scaremongering here but a visit to either your docs or A&E to put your mind at rest could be a good move. Also, try taking arnica and ibuprofen, they really help with bruising / inflammation, but like you say, patience is on the cards too. Hope you get sorted out. CJ

Bummer! Ah well. A friend has said I should go back to A&E just to recheck so maybe I will once some of my work is done. I really hate going to doctors though, that was the first time in about 10 years! Ibuprofin gel is helping but I'll take some arnica too. Patience, bah.

sounds wise to me, good luck.

Tina-M, why not see if there's a local osteopath/Sports physio locally? Sometimes the damage may be minor but the effect's more serious. I've had a number of falls where I've given my ribs a good smack. It turns out that if you hit them in the right place, it can affect your vertebra (ribs act as a big lever) and you may have just moved one slightly - this tends to result in muscles tightening up to compensate, which is where the pain starts! This may not be something picked up in an x-ray? May be worth trying - although will cost you money. You invariably get a good back massage out of it though!

Hi Tina, the force of your fall will inevitably have had an effect on your thoracic spine (upper back) as the ribs attatch to this part of the spine. The force will have been transmitted to the small muscles and ligaments in this area. It would definately be a good idea to see a practitioner who specialises in spinal assessment(a physiotherapist). They will be able to evalute the area and start some treatment in the form of manipulation and exercise.
THings will slowly settle down provided you restore your movement and don't let yourself stiffen up. There's no reason why you shouldn't ride the bike, but make sure you adopt good posture whilst riding to ease the strain on the upper back area. Swimming will help the mobility and keep you strong at the same time if you're too sore to ride.
If you need any furthur advice then please let me know (I am physio).

Thanks Sarah. Everyone here (and Anne) has convinced me I should go see my chiro again though I was putting it off. He'll just look at me and ask what I did on my bike. ;) That's always his first question even when I'm fine! Since he knows my back he should know if something is even more odd than usual.

I did ride at Peaslake the other Sunday and it was okay, just normal pain I associated with good ol bruising inside. I'm fortunately not really sore unless I do some stupid particular movement that just seems to wrench things out of place - and I tend to be doing that in that early semi-awake state without knowing it. Needless to say I then wake up QUICKLY! Usually with verbal sound effects. Then that day I'm in agony.

So I just didn't want to push things if I shouldn't, something I'm prone to doing.