Yes, your orthopaedic surgeon is right. These days strapping for fracture ribs is not done. In multiple fracture ribs we are mainly worried about injury to the underlying lungs and pleura (covering of lungs). If these are excluded all that is required is to take simple pain killers. There is no special food/medicine or ointment for early healing. It takes about six weeks for the fracture to heal but acute pain subsides in about 3 to 4 weeks.