The Sixers’ Kelly Oubre Jr. broke his rib when he got hit by a car. Here’s how that injury is treated, and when he might be back.

Kelly Oubre Jr.’s rib fracture likely will keep him from playing for the 76ers for at least a month, trauma specialists say.

Oubre, 27, was struck by a motorist Saturday night while walking near his home in Center City, according to an initial police report. A Philadelphia Fire Department ambulance crew took him to Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, where he was treated and released later that night.

The team has said little about the injury, other than that Oubre is expected to miss significant playing time, and that his fracture will be reevaluated within a week. In addition to the broken rib, Oubre suffered unspecified injuries to his hip and right leg.

Physicians not involved with his care say that the management of rib fractures has evolved in several ways over the past few decades. For example, wrapping the torso, once a common treatment, is no longer recommended.

While Oubre’s youth and superb conditioning will help in his recovery, a rib fracture is a serious injury that requires careful management. The pain can be excruciating.

A 6-foot-7, 203-pound forward, Oubre joined the Sixers this year and was named a starter after the early-season departure of James Harden and P.J. Tucker in a multiplayer trade with the Los Angeles Clippers.

For more about how broken ribs are treated and how long Oubre is likely to be on the sidelines, The Inquirer spoke to Virtua Health thoracic surgeon Matthew M. Puc and Main Line Health orthopedic trauma surgeon Mitesh P. Shah. Both spoke generally about what’s involved in recovering from rib fractures, as neither is involved in Oubre’s care.

In severe cases, surgeons may opt to stabilize fractured ribs by screwing titanium plates into the bone.

That’s major surgery, typically recommended only if the patient has broken four ribs or more and has extreme difficulty breathing, said Shah, who practices primarily at Lankenau Medical Center.

“For a single rib, even a couple of ribs, we’re almost never thinking of surgery,” he said.

Oubre broke just one rib, the Sixers said.

The fact that he was released from the hospital the same night of his injury suggests that he won’t be going under the knife, Shah and Puc agreed.

Decades ago, physicians commonly recommended wrapping the torso to minimize movement and aid in recovery.

But that approach fell out of favor for two reasons, Puc said. Not only are wraps ineffective in helping the bone to heal, they raise the risk of pneumonia, as they restrict movement of the lungs.

Physicians want patients with rib fractures to breathe as normally as possible — even though it hurts — because that helps clear secretions that can otherwise lead to infection. Doctors typically prescribe breathing exercises and ask patients to measure their breathing ability with a device called a spirometer.

Pain can be managed with medication, either an over-the-counter anti-inflammatory drug such as ibuprofen or, in more severe cases, a prescription narcotic. Some patients wear lidocaine patches to numb the area.

Puc also tells patients to place a pillow between their arm and torso during the first few weeks to minimize the pain from a cough or other unintended movement.

“You try to cushion the blow,” he said. “It supports your chest wall. That kind of stabilizes it.”

Other than that, there is not much to do except wait.

The amount of time needed to recover from a rib fracture depends on the type of break, Puc and Shah said. If the fracture is displaced, meaning the two ends of bone are out of alignment, healing takes longer.

“The more shifted the fracture is, the longer it’s going to take to heal,” Shah said. “The bone has to bridge across that gap.”

A non-displaced, hairline fracture heals faster.

The Sixers have not specified the type of break Oubre has.

A young athlete with a non-displaced rib fracture might be able to start practicing as soon as three weeks after the injury, returning to regular games in as little as four weeks, Shah said. But the bone is not 100% healed at that point, so physicians would recommend wearing a light flak jacket or other protective gear in case of impact, Shah said.

Complete healing can take at least eight weeks.

During Oubre’s recovery, his trainers will prescribe carefully chosen exercises to maintain his fitness level as much as possible without exacerbating the injury, Shah said.

For most people, the pain from a rib fracture is intense.

“When you have a rib fracture, you know it, for the most part,” Puc said. “It’s a memorable event.”

The pain gets worse when taking deep breaths.

“People with rib fractures who have to sneeze, oh my God. They’re going to be jumping out of their skin,” he said.

Still, if the fracture is minor or the person has a high pain threshold, they may not realize it.

“Some people may just shrug it off,” he said. “I’ve seen folks like that. They’ll come back later for other scans and imaging, and you’ll see an old rib fracture that’s healed.”

The only surefire way to tell if a rib is broken is by getting an X-ray.