can coughing.cause puncture lungs
In some cases, lots of forceful coughing -- like from a bout of pneumonia -- can cause rib fractures. Most of the time, the broken rib is only broken in one place, and is an incomplete fracture, meaning not all the way through the bone. Completely broken ribs may or may not move out of place. If they do move, they're called displaced rib fractures and are more likely to puncture lungs or damage other tissues and organs. Ribs that stay in place -- usually ribs that are not completely broken in half -- are called nondisplaced rib fractures.