Hello, I fell down my stairs a week ago and still have a really bad bruise on my left rear end cheek and my upper left side of rib cage really is still sore. It is very painful when I sneeze and when I take deep breathes I feel a popping feeling in the area on my back where I landed . I have been feeling shortness of breathes and at one time even felt really heavy in the chest and had a difficult time breathing. Im going to the Dr. this week but was wondering what you thought. Sincerely, Jolene
Hi there, the bruise on the back cheek will get better in a few days and should not have a lasting effect, but the chest injury could be serious and the symptoms you have been describing of shortness of breath and difficulty breathing could be due to !)muscular injury or 2) due to broken ribs 3) damage to the lung parenchymal by the broken ribs.  You will need to visit the ER to get an x-ray taken to rule out the possibility of a broken rib. Do not wait for the appointment but go right away for an exam. Take care.