Bruised ribs - how long before the pain stops?

[Gingernaut]

I bruised my ribs on Friday and the pain is worse than ever.

How long does it take to be back to normal?

have you been checked? could they be broken?
ime broken ribs take a while to heal, but it should get better rather than worse.

Described the pain to a 111 call handler, a 111 GP and spoke to a GP from my practice.

Even if they are cracked (from bouncing off a handrail on a bus when it jerked to a stop), the treatment is the same - rest, pain killers and breathing exercises.

No scary symptoms - no breathing difficulties, no loss of function of limbs, bladder or bowel, no shitting or pissing blood, no pins and needles anywhere and no loss of consciousness, dizzy spells or altered vision.

I answered those questions thinking WTF are they trying to diagnose???

Just a worsening pain that goes beyond the obvious palm sized bruise.