It’s important to keep your lungs healthy. As you heal, practice taking deep breaths. It’s important not to be afraid of taking the pain medication as prescribed because keeping the pain under control is important for taking strong, deep breaths.
If you go to the ER, the doctor may send you home with a tool to encourage deep breathing. The tool is called an incentive spirometer. It measures lung capacity so patients can see how well their lungs are recovering as the broken rib heals.