What to do if you have pain after a chest impact

Generally, chest pain following a chest impact may be caused by conditions such as chest wall soft tissue contusion, local muscle spasm, costal periostitis, rib fracture, or costochondritis. Depending on the specific situation, patients can improve symptoms through conservative management, medication, or surgical treatment. Detailed analysis is as follows:

1. Chest Wall Soft Tissue Contusion

A chest impact can damage the skin and subcutaneous tissues of the chest wall, causing rupture of local capillaries and resulting in pain. Patients should immediately stop strenuous activities, rest in bed, and apply an ice pack to the injured area to reduce swelling. After 48 hours, switch to warm compresses with a heated towel to promote absorption of bruising.

2. Local Muscle Spasm

The impact may stimulate the chest wall muscles, causing sudden contraction and spasm, leading to episodic pain. Gently stretching the chest muscles can help relieve spasms. Maintaining a comfortable sitting posture helps prevent muscle tension, and light massage may be used when necessary to relax the muscles.

3. Costal Periostitis

The impact may stretch or injure the periosteum of the ribs, triggering an aseptic inflammation, which intensifies pain due to inflammatory irritation. Under medical guidance, patients may take medications such as ibuprofen sustained-release capsules, diclofenac sodium enteric-coated tablets, or celecoxib capsules. Avoid excessive exertion of the chest during treatment.

4. Rib Fracture

A strong impact may cause rib fracture. The broken bone ends irritate surrounding tissues, causing persistent pain that worsens during deep breathing or coughing. Under medical supervision, patients may take herbal medicines such as Jiegu Qili tablets, Shangke Jiegu tablets, or Huoxue Zhitong capsules. If significant bone displacement occurs, open reduction and internal fixation surgery may be required. A chest binder should be worn postoperatively for protection.

5. Costochondritis

The impact damages the cartilage connecting the sternum and ribs, triggering an inflammatory response and causing pain in the central part of the chest. Medications such as etoricoxib tablets, loxoprofen sodium tablets, or naproxen tablets may be taken under medical guidance. In severe cases where pain persists despite medication, surgical removal of the affected costal cartilage (costal cartilage resection) may be necessary.

During daily activities, it's important to protect the chest area from vigorous exercise or impacts. After injury, closely monitor breathing and changes in chest pain; seek immediate medical attention if symptoms such as shortness of breath or hemoptysis occur. During recovery, maintain a light diet and increase intake of protein- and calcium-rich foods to support tissue healing.