Rib fractures & flail chest
From painful single fractures to multiple broken ribs and flail chest. Specialist pain control, nerve blocks, and titanium rib plating (ORIF/SSRF) when conservative care is not enough.
Rib fracture treatment →
Broken ribs that were “just left to heal”. Rib pain that every scan calls normal. A sternum fractured in a car accident. This clinic exists for exactly these problems — assessed and treated by Mr Marco Scarci, consultant thoracic surgeon, with urgent cases seen the same day.
Most patients arrive with one of these six stories. Choose the closest match to read exactly what can be done.
I’ve broken my ribs and the painkillers aren’t touching it.Rib fracture treatment →
I’ve been told I might need rib plating surgery.Titanium rib fixation (SSRF) →
Sharp pain under my lower ribs, sometimes a click — but every scan is normal.Slipping rib syndrome →
I’ve had rib or chest wall pain for months and nobody can tell me why.Chest wall pain assessment →
My breastbone was fractured in an accident and it still hurts.Sternal fractures →
An old rib fracture healed years ago — so why does it still hurt?Chronic post-fracture pain →
Chest wall conditions sit awkwardly between A&E, orthopaedics, physiotherapy and pain clinics — which is why so many patients fall through the gaps. Here, they are the entire focus.
From painful single fractures to multiple broken ribs and flail chest. Specialist pain control, nerve blocks, and titanium rib plating (ORIF/SSRF) when conservative care is not enough.
Rib fracture treatment →Sharp lower-rib pain with clicking or popping, normal scans, years without answers. Diagnosed clinically in minutes and treatable — up to and including costal cartilage resection surgery.
Slipping rib syndrome →Usually caused by seatbelts, airbags or falls. Most heal with the right support; painful non-healing fractures can be repaired with titanium plate fixation.
Sternal fracture care →Costochondritis, intercostal neuralgia, xiphoid syndrome and pain that persists long after a fracture has “healed”. A structured diagnostic pathway that starts with being properly examined.
Chest wall pain →Pectus excavatum and carinatum assessment and correction, including the Nuss procedure, vacuum bell therapy and bracing, for teenagers and adults.
Pectus deformities →Prominent lower ribs — assessment of the underlying cause and the realistic options, from targeted physiotherapy to surgery in selected cases.
On marcoscarci.co.uk →A bulge through the chest wall muscle layer, often after trauma, coughing fits or previous surgery. Assessed and repaired, from watchful monitoring to mesh repair.
Chest wall hernia →A new or growing lump on the rib cage needs proper assessment — from benign lipomas to bony lesions requiring biopsy or excision.
Chest wall lumps →Costochondral injuries and chest wall junction damage that are often invisible on X-ray but identifiable by specialist examination.
Costal cartilage injuries →Burning or shooting pain along a rib from nerve damage, post-thoracotomy pain or shingles — nerve blocks and cryoablation available.
Intercostal neuralgia →Fresh trauma, uncontrolled pain or breathing difficulty: same-day and next-day appointments. Routine new patients within 24–48 hours.
Existing X-rays, CT scans and hospital letters are read by Mr Scarci in advance, so the consultation starts with answers — not with opening your file.
Mr Scarci sees you at consultation, performs any surgery personally, and reviews your recovery. No relay between different team members.
From a confirmed surgical plan to an operating date is typically 3–5 days — and with rib fixation, evidence favours operating early.
The practice verifies cover, obtains pre-authorisation and bills your insurer directly. Self-pay patients get transparent written estimates and 0% finance options.
Clinics Monday to Thursday across The Wellington, The London Clinic, HCA Elstree, Imperial Private Healthcare and Bupa Cromwell Hospital.
Mr Marco ScarciMD(Hons) FRCS(Eng) FCCP FACS FEBTS · Consultant Thoracic Surgeon, Imperial College Healthcare
The chest wall is one of the most neglected areas of modern medicine: too surgical for physicians, too specialised for general surgeons, and too often dismissed once the scans come back “normal”. Mr Scarci has spent over two decades treating it properly — from complex rib reconstruction after major trauma to the subtle, movement-dependent diagnoses like slipping rib syndrome that imaging cannot see.
Call, WhatsApp or book online. The practice team confirms your appointment, checks your insurance and requests any existing scans or letters.
Mr Scarci has already reviewed your imaging. You are examined properly — including the specific chest wall tests most patients have never had — and leave with a diagnosis, your options, and a written plan.
If targeted imaging, a diagnostic nerve block or pre-operative checks are needed, they are arranged promptly — often at the same visit or within days.
From specialist pain control and nerve blocks to titanium rib fixation or costal cartilage resection — performed personally by Mr Scarci, minimally invasive wherever possible.
Mr Scarci calls you personally with any results, reviews your recovery, and coordinates physiotherapy and return-to-activity planning until you are back to normal life.
“ ★★★★★“I broke five ribs in a cycling accident and was sent home from A&E with tramadol. Two weeks later I was worse — I couldn’t sleep and I was terrified to cough. Mr Scarci saw me within four days, did a nerve block that week, and the change was immediate. I could finally breathe properly again.”
“ ★★★★★“I had rib pain for six years and bounced around the NHS without a diagnosis. Within minutes he knew what the problem was — slipping rib syndrome. Surgery the following week. Two weeks later I’m almost back to full health. Simply amazing.”
“ ★★★★★“I’d seen five specialists over three years. Every scan was normal. I’d been told it was stress, then a pulled muscle. Mr Scarci did the hooking test in the first five minutes and said ‘I know exactly what this is.’ I cried with relief.”
Rib and chest wall treatment is recognised by every major UK private insurer. Self-pay patients receive transparent written estimates with 0% finance available, and accident-related treatment can often be funded through a personal injury claim.
Choose the day and hospital that suits you — the clinical care is identical at every site.
8A Wellington Place, St John’s Wood, NW8 9LE
20 Devonshire Place, Marylebone, W1G 6BW
Beaufort House, Elstree Road, Borehamwood, WD6 3BS
Hammersmith Hospital, Du Cane Road, W12 0HS
164–178 Cromwell Road, South Kensington, SW5 0TU
Not in London? Remote video consultations are available, and Mr Scarci regularly sees patients travelling from across the UK and abroad. Existing imaging can be reviewed before you travel.
No. You can book directly with the practice by phone, WhatsApp or online. If you are using private medical insurance, some insurers ask for a GP or specialist referral to authorise cover — the practice team will check your policy and tell you exactly what your insurer needs before you attend.
Urgent rib injuries — recent trauma, uncontrolled pain, breathing difficulty — are seen the same day or within hours wherever possible. Routine new appointments are usually available within 24–48 hours across five London locations, with remote video consultations for patients further afield.
Yes. Consultations, imaging, nerve blocks and surgery for rib and chest wall conditions are recognised by all major UK insurers, including Bupa, AXA Health, Aviva, Vitality, Cigna, WPA and Healix. The practice verifies your cover, obtains pre-authorisation and bills your insurer directly — you normally pay only your policy excess.
Self-pay patients receive a clear written estimate before committing to anything, and 0% finance options are available. If your injury was caused by a road traffic accident or an accident at work, treatment costs can often be recovered through your solicitor as part of a personal injury claim.
Not necessarily. If you already have X-rays, CT scans or hospital letters, bring them — Mr Scarci reviews all existing imaging before your consultation so nothing is repeated unnecessarily. If further imaging is needed, it is arranged promptly at the same hospital, often on the same day.
Yes. This site is the dedicated chest wall and rib service within the practice of Mr Marco Scarci, consultant thoracic surgeon at Imperial College Healthcare. His full thoracic practice — lung, pleural and mediastinal surgery — is at marcoscarci.co.uk. The team, standards and contact details are the same.
Sudden severe breathlessness at rest, coughing up blood, blue lips or fingertips, crushing central chest pain, fainting, or a section of the chest visibly moving the wrong way with breathing: these need an emergency ambulance, not an outpatient appointment.
One consultation gives you a diagnosis, a plan and a timeline — whether that means reassurance, a nerve block, or definitive surgery. Urgent cases are seen the same day.