Rebound rib: stress-induced first rib fracture

Reported are two cases of stress-induced fracture of the first rib in young, healthy basketball players. Presumably the fractures resulted from violent contraction of the scalene musculature. This is the usual method of production of stress-induced first rib fracture, but basketball-related cases have not been reported previously. This entity probably is underdiagnosed, and is amenable to conservative outpatient management in most cases.