- A spleen injury is a serious condition that requires urgent medical attention to prevent complications and possibly even death. Common signs of a ruptured or injured spleen include severe pain or tenderness typically felt just below the rib cage. In some cases, the pain radiates to the shoulder. Because spleen injuries often result in serious internal bleeding, a feeling of dizziness or lightheadness is common, and people may even faint. If you or your child exhibits any of these symptoms after an accident or fall, seek immediate medical attention.
- In cases in which there is a moderate or severe injury to the spleen, hospitalization is typically necessary. Patients will often need to start their treatment with a battery of diagnostic imaging tests such as CT scans and ultrasounds to determine the extent of the injury. Blood transfusions are often needed because of internal bleeding that often develops when the spleen in injured. In severe cases, surgery will also be needed. In some cases, doctors will have to remove the spleen, but sometimes surgeons can repair tears and other damage to the organ.
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The most important part of recovering from a spleen injury is to rest and restrict activities to allow the organ to fully heal and prevent a second injury from occurring. Your doctor will typically run through the activities you or your child will need to avoid and for how long. The following is a list of activities that generally need to be avoided until healing is complete: individual or team sports, physical education classes, bike riding, activities that raise your heart rate or cause you to sweat, climbing or playing on playground equipment, running, jogging, riding amusement park rides and sitting in hot tubs, whirlpool tubs or saunas. It's also important to avoid engaging in activities that increase your risk of falling or being hit in the stomach.
Children, especially, may need to have their activities strictly limited until their doctors give them clearance to begin being active again. Because children often do not understand their limitations, a child recovering from a spleen injury may need to be constantly monitored and supervised until the organ has healed.
