re: Fell and cracked #7 Rib in the back area. Anyone have an idea how long to heal?

I got really drunk and fell down at a bar at the end of October 2022. Sides and back hurt like hell and could barely move the next day. After a week went to a doctor and had x-rays. They didn't show anything so it was diagnosed as bruised ribs. Got some muscle relaxers and pain reliever (nothing good) that didn't do anything.

A month later the pain had gotten better on my sides but my back was still hurting bad. An MRI showed 3 small fractures, small enough that they didn't show up on an X-ray. It was probably February/March before I was finally back to normal. As long as I was reclining on my sofa chair I felt fine. But sitting up would start to really hurt after a few minutes. Coughing/Sneezing was absolute hell. I like to say I broke my back in 3 places, but the reality is it was a step above a bad bruise and impacted me for months. Any injury to your core is going to amplify the pain and discomfort for everything you do.

I would bank on it being a gradual process of feeling better. One day you'll sneeze and realize that didn't hurt that bad. Or you'll twist a certain way and expect to flinch only for it to not be that bad. Then one day you'll realize you haven't thought about it in a few days and that's pretty much when you're mostly back to normal.