Conversation: The conversation between human and AI assistant.
[|Human|] My friend broke 3 ribs 18 months ago at the age of 81. He was in severe pain and the ribs took a few months to heal but ever since the accident he has had upper back pain and can t sit in an upright chair for very long. He had swelling below his shoulder blade immediately after breaking his ribs but the doctor didn t seem to take an interest in it.
[|AI|]  Hi, Welcome to Chat Doctor. You are right rib fracture generally heals in 2-3 months. But sometimes healed fracture may remain painful for many months. Don't worry about swelling. It is callus formed in the process of healing of fractures. It will gradually reduce in size and may disappear. You can take analgesics(Diclofenac sodium 100 mg slow release tablets) for pain relief. He is advised to check his serum vitamin D level and if it is low then supplement this. I think this will be of use to you.