Got a handlebar end in my ribs when jumping off rock step 3 weeks ago and it is still keeping me off my bike. Anyone else had such an injury and how long did you take to recover. General opinion is I have cracked a rib.

Sorry to hear you're off the bike.

I've broken/cracked ribs a couple of times and they can be a real bummer of an injury. If my experience is typical you'll feel them for some time - probably 6 weeks or so.

Unfortunately, unless badly broken, the medical profession don't do much else than prescribe pain killers.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news....

Stoford

I cracked mine skiing, 4-6 weeks to recover fully.

Laughing was also painful.

6 weeks if its your floating (smallest/lowest) rib.

Done mine at Taekwondo some years ago.. so sore I couldn't lift my right leg to kick my bike over..but back in the (non-existent)saddle after 6 boring weeks.

And sneezing can hurt!

It was 6 weeks, at least, before I could say "choo".

Sneezing sounded like this, "aaaahhh...AAAAHHHHHOWWWWW...DAMN!!!"

An X-ray isn't a bad idea...broken ribs can interfere with internal organs.

I was once being admitted to the hospital for a leg operation, and needed a chest X-ray because I was going to be on my back for a couple weeks, and they wanted to be as sure as possible that I wouldn't get pneumonia.

My doctor, who used to get p****d off at me for being wreckless and breaking my body, came storming into the room, slammed the X-ray into the light box and said, "Well...did you know you had 4 broken ribs?" I said, "Um...I, uhhh...I knew I had at least one!"

He pulled the X-ray down and left the room shaking his head.

I've had the pleasure of damaged rib 5 or 6 times. Last bout was in August, front and back..........6 weeks is the average.

Sorry to hear it, they're one of the more annoying injuries.

i went to casualty after 2stroke high speed karting crash, thought i'd fractured a rib. They wouldn't even x-ray as i wasn't coughing or p****ng blood. Baly bruised rib can be more painful than a fracture ???Bad news, 10 weeks before i could kart again as the force going round corners pressed straight onto the rib, though could ride bike after 6.

Broken Rib (twice) = 6 weeks to no pain

'Sprung rib' (once) = 8 weeks to no pain

Think 'Sprung Rib'is detached muscle, fat, and gristle

Broken ribs were caused by the handlebars, 'sprung rib' caused by landing on my arm and pushing my forearm into my rib cage

Can't cough, sneeze, or break wind, learned to sleep sitting up in bed or absolutely immobile on my back

You can work around the pain and ride with painkillers (badly) after 4-6 weeks