Platform HELP! (the kind you walk on)

Ok, i started flash 3 years ago but stopped after 4 months(lol). but now ive gottin back into it after taking a 2D animation course at college.

Ive been making a game that has gravity scripting, and coins you can collect (pretty lame)
But the problem ive been having is with my Platforms that you can bounce on.

You can bounce fine off the top and bottom of them but if you hit it from the side the movieClip you control (a ball) goes crazy bouncing in the inside of the platform. I want my ball to hit the edge of the platform and get its x-axis reversed (i.e bounce away).

I know if i make my platforms more like a rectangle, rather then basically just a line (4-6 pixels thin) the this problem could easily be fixed, but i want them to be thin.

Is there anyone that has a simple solution to my problem?? (there usually is lol).