It’s not really advisable to do exercise when you have a broken rib because too much body movement will slow the healing process of your ribs and on the other hand it hurts when you do certain upper body movements when you have a broken rib. For the first two weeks it would be best not to engage yourself on any light physical exercise, just relax and as much as possible do lots of resting.
Breathing Exercises
Two days after the injury it would be best to start your breathing exercise, deep breathing helps you avoid lung ailments like pneumonia. It really hurts when you breathe but its not good not to do deep breathing exercise because most likely you will have pneumonia. Best way to do deep breathing exercise is to keep your upper body straight and breathe deeply several times each hour, to ease the pain just hug a pillow while doing this exercise.
Light Stretching Exercise
Two weeks after the injury you will feel upper body discomfort due to lack of body movements. Light stretching exercise is good for this, you can stretch your arm and your body lightly but be sure not to overdo it, if your ribs begin to hurt or you have a hard time breathing stop right away. It’s good to do this light stretching exercise for a couple of minutes every 2-3 hours.
Best thing is to consult your doctor first for this matter, doctors and physical therapy can give you great advice on what light exercise is good for you.
