Ever play with a busted rib?

[Jack Lee]

I have to ask so I have an idea what to expect.

I was in a minor motorcycle crash two nights ago and came out with a broken rib being the longest healing injury sustained. The rest was bumps and bruises.

My question is whether any of you have had to deal with a broken rib and if so how long did it take you to get back on the course? I am planning to inquire of the doc at my follow up, but I know that depending on who that doc is they might be of the "overly cautious" school of thought and tell me not to swing for a year.

If it matters, it was a clean fracture that didn't dislocate and only broke in one place. Second rib on my left side, I think they said.

Thanks!
Jack Lee

[Big_M]

I cracked two bottom ribs (2nd and 3rd) playing hockey. I thought they were just bruised and I tried to play hockey again after taking only about a week off... it still hurt pretty bad so I went to the doctor and got the news. They said just take it easy and start doing stuff again when the soreness goes away. It was about 6 weeks before I could sleep on my left side, but I was playing hockey again after taking only another two weeks off. So, for cracked ribs I took 3 weeks off sports, but I was in fantastic pain when I was barely tapped for a good 2 months and it slowely supsided from there. At first I remember it hurt to breathe, let alone try any serious movement. Of course I was 17 and probably healed a lot faster than I would now.

Anyway, good luck. Being a fellow motorcycle rider I am glad you will make a full recovery. My dad broke both arms a few years back when someone carelessly pulled in front of him, and I have had some close calls myself. It sucks that people can be so careless in cars.

[Dub]

Nope....never had and I cringe at the thought.


Glad to hear that you came out of your wreck as well as you did. A buddy of mine is going through some tough times right now...his brother in law was in a motorcyle wreck a week ago. They are rebuilding his hip and left leg....he doesn't know this because he's been unresponsive the entire time due to severe head trauma...they've been relieving cranial pressure and monitoring his limited brain activity. It's not looking good.

I'm fortunate to have walked away from the two motorcyle accidents I had in college. I pray that my son will avoid riding, somehow.



Best of luck with your golfing....playing while injured isn't fun....you really have to play within your limitations....establish new (limited) goals and accept your current dimished abilities. It can be frustrating.

[flopdarock]

3 wks...
1st week i couldnt even swing a club...
2nd week really sore...
3rd week limited but workable

[The Fox]

3 wks...

Just broke 3 ribs left side 4 days ago. Have a golf match coming up in 4 weeks. Only need to shoot in the mid 80's to win and course is short (6,600 yds). Do you think it is doable to play at 50-60% swing in 4 weeks? Thanks in advance for any replies.

[leezer99]

Not as bad I'm sure as a broken rib but I have played with a dislocated rib. After having a chiropractor put me back together it still took a good three weeks before I was back to 100% because of the soreness caused by it. One thing though is that you won't swing too hard.

[Sowbug2000]

I'm not sure what my injury was - rib or muscles in between, but I hurt it - washing my truck of all things....on a ladder trying to reach across the roof for a sponge....heard a pop and thought....oh sheet!

After hobbling down off the ladder, I could still breathe and thought all was okay. A few days later playing golf on the 10th hole I swung and pop - OUCH!!! I tried playing a couple of more holes, but couldn't finish my swing.

I was out about a month?

Don't rush it, but you could test it out at the range after 3 weeks? If its broken, that's got to be pretty bad.

Good Luck!

[sean_miller]

I'm not sure what my injury was - rib or muscles in between, but I hurt it - washing my truck of all things....on a ladder trying to reach across the roof for a sponge....heard a pop and thought....oh sheet!

6 weeks without touching a club for me - both times.

One was similar to yours, I hit a root in the rough and it took a moment for the pain to register. That one was probably muscle related. The other was from a deliberate flying elbow to the ribs while heading to the bench for a line change during summer league hockey. I think that one was likely some thing broken.

[upah]

I broke 5 ribs and a vertebrae snowboarding on Dec 29th, 2008. I was essentially confined to a recliner for 2 weeks, but after I was able to move around a bit, my recovery was speedy. I won a high level volleyball tournament the first weekend in March, so I'd say 4 weeks for golf (especially expecting 50-60%) is definitely doable. You'd be surprised how fast they heal if you take it easy for a few weeks. Just don't jump into anything too soon.

[David in FL]

2 broken ribs as a result of an ill-advised departure from a jetski......

IIRC, about a month until I was back on the course.

[Supermanwoot]

Umm I'm currently suffering from some type of injury, hurts just to the left of my spine but to the right of my shoulder blade and hurts when I take a deep breath. I figure i'll go in for X-rays and CT scan if it continues past 2 weeks but I'll take it easy until then.

I cant even swing a club at this point as the torque during the downswing just takes me down. I can putt just fine and barely chip/pitch but that even hurts.

I've only been off the course for a couple days since I tried to play in pain the other day and that was the turning point that really put me out of it.

[whetstone]

My rib isn't broken, but I have torn serratus muscle (sits on top of the rib). I've been playing, but not as much. Sometimes it hurts so bad I can't breathe, other times I barely notice it. I plan to play 18 sunday... if I can make it through, otherwise I'm going to crack open a cold one (or 6) and enjoy watching my friends play.