The key facts

  • After hugging her husband, the woman broke five ribs, and another one cracked
  • The husband said he only wanted to express his feelings and did not expect such an outcome
  • Doctors advise not to squeeze the chest and to strengthen bones through diet and exercise

Tight hugs ended in fractures

In China, a man broke his wife's five ribs by hugging her too tightly, Vietnam.vn reports citing a publication by Gazeta.Ru. After the hug, the woman felt severe pain and could not straighten up. A tomography scan at the hospital showed five broken ribs and a crack in another one.

The husband's reaction and the doctors' explanation

According to the publication, the husband deeply regrets what happened: he only wanted to hug his beloved tightly so she would feel his emotions, and did not expect such an outcome. Doctors explain that sharp tight hugs and lifts from behind create uneven pressure on the chest. The fifth through eighth ribs have a large curvature and tolerate compression poorly, so they break easily.

Medical recommendations

Doctors do not urge people to give up hugs — what matters is controlling the strength. They advise not squeezing the chest, but hugging around the waist or back. Extra caution should be taken with thin people and those with low bone mass; one must not roughly hug or lift a person who is already experiencing chest pain. To protect bones, doctors recommend eating more foods with protein and calcium — milk, soy, fish, shrimp — limiting coffee and strong tea, spending 15–20 minutes in the sun a day, and exercising regularly, including strength training. The article also mentions that a doctor previously named three main methods of osteoporosis prevention.