![](/sites/default/files/styles/freeform_scaled/public/field/image/03.160.2021-chest_wall.png?itok=aGw9iJsv)
Each year, hundreds of thousands of people in the United States break a rib, making rib fractures one of the most common traumatic injuries.
Yet, except for the most extreme cases, there is no treatment beyond rest and pain control.
A surgeon and a materials scientist at Duke joined forces to create new materials that could stabilize rib fractures, reduce pain and increase quality of life.