Maura Higgins went to a hospital during Dancing with the Stars’ Grammy Night week after hearing a rib “pop” during a lift with partner Mark Ballas. She suffered a lot of swelling and had trouble breathing, but she managed to make it to the semi-finals. But is she risking making the injury worse by continuing to rehearse?
Worried About Leaving Early
The Irish Star reported that “prior to their most recent appearance, Maura confessed she worried it might spell the conclusion of her journey after the team missed crucial practice sessions due to her rib injury.”
When Entertainment Weekly interviewed her after the show, the DWTS contestant described the pain of a rib injury. She’d been to the hospital because the pain was so bad, she felt like she “couldn’t breathe.”
Refusing To Give Up
Maura Higgins, added, “The swelling was so bad. But I didn’t want to give up. I didn’t want to throw the towel in. I’m just glad I’m still here. And I’m feeling so much better now.”
Her X-ray didn’t show a broken rib, but a cartilage injury can also be extremely painful and take a long time to heal. That news came when she was asked about getting an X-ray.
The Dancing with the Stars competitor said, “I did. There’s no crack. However, with like any muscle damage or cartilage damage, it would feel the exact same, and it’s the same treatment. You kind of just have to let it heal.”
Struggling With Rehearsals
During rehearsal this week, she didn’t look all that happy, and naturally fans hope that she recovers fully. On ET’s Instagram, one DWTS fan wrote, “The pain of a rib injury is awful. I don’t know how she was able to dance.”
Meanwhile, others felt that perhaps Maura Higgins should have rather thrown in the towel and retired from the show. Someone said, “You should’ve went home then girl.”
While some folks argued that Maura could tough it out, there is some concern that she might make the injury worse.
Exacerbating An Injury?
According to Rise Sports Spinal, if she experiences difficulty breathing and a lot of pain, she should seek medical attention. So it seems that Maura did the right thing. But getting back into rehearsals so fast might not have been a great idea.
Citing Hanak et al., Mayo Clinic Proceedings, 2005, the website noted that “X-rays miss many rib fractures; in one series of rib fractures confirmed by other imaging, a chest X-ray showed the break in only 58%.”
It recommends taking “ten slow, deep breaths every hour while awake” and coughing when necessary while supporting the painful area with a pillow or hand.
It can take three to six weeks to recover, with gentle exercise such as walking recommended while heavy lifting, physical contact, and sharp twisting should be avoided until the injury settles.
Dancing Can Be Brutal
Of course, heavy dance routines in Dancing with the Stars hardly seem like gentle exercise. But at this time, it seems that Maura Higgins is determined to power through the pain anyway.
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