Dislocated Rib and SC Joint Sprain

During Monday's night NFL game, Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was sacked and landed right on the posterior aspect of his right elbow.  The defender also landed directly on his left shoulder.  He suffered a sprain of the sternoclavicular (SC) joint of his throwing shoulder.  This is where the clavicle meets the sternum.  It was likely caused by his humerus being forced up into his clavicle when he landed on the ground.  This is not a very common injury, but it can be very painful, especially for a quarterback.  Anytime you move your humerus (upper arm), the clavicle will rotate as well, so this would cause pain at the SC joint.  This is the injury that essentially ended Brett Favre's iron man streak two years ago.

Roethlisberger also had another injury that is not very common, and that is a dislocated rib.  I haven't found an article that says exactly which rib is dislocated, but my guess would be it is one of the first 3 or 4 ribs, due to the mechanism of injury.  It is unclear if the dislocation occurred where the rib attaches to the thoracic vertebrae in the back, or where it attaches to the sternum in the front through hyaline cartilage (probably the anterior attachment to the sternum).  In any case, it is a very painful injury, and even simple activities are difficult, such as breathing, because the ribcage moves when we breathe.  There is some concern about him taking another hit before the injury heals and the rib puncturing an internal organ.  Due to the pain and likelihood of a serious injury, he will probably not play for several weeks.