Does anyone know the difference in feeling of having a bruised rib versus a separated or cracked one? I've been trying to find it on the internet but there isn't a lot of info on how to determine it. My boyfriend and brother both think it's just bruised and that I don't need to go to the hospital, but it really really hurts! Like, I get sharp pain whenever I try to lay down or sit up, when I reach my left arm up (eg. To put a dish in the cupboard, to hand up my bathtowel),
Or when I cough oh my does that hurt. I can't breathe as well as I used to but it's not like I'm having a hard time breathing.. so is this a bruised rib? Or worse? And if it is only a bruise how long will it take to stop hurting. Some things I read people say a week others say 6 months.
It's been 3 days so far.

Sweetie, you need to have x-rays done. If it is a cracked or broken rib you risk a collapsed lung which can be life threatening.

The only way to tell for sure what this is, is through an x-ray. The pain can be equal in bruised, cracked, or broken ribs. Also, there may be other damage that might need to be checked out.