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MyFitnessPal Community

Bruise question?

tajmel

I realize a fitness and dieting forum is not a great place to go for medical advice, but hey, it's free!

So I fell very hard going down stairs ~10 days ago. Like, all of my weight, falling a few feet, striking on a 3x5 area on my upper shin. Hard enough to make me cry. I applied ice but it swelled pretty badly, like 2" of height over an area larger than my hand, and stayed that way for a week. The swelling has mostly gone down, but the bruising is still there. There's no pain at all with flexing, walking, etc, but pressure (ie from being on my knees) is extremely painful.

1) Is a bruise this severe ever a cause for concern?
2) What can I do (if anything) to make it go away faster?

Replies

tajmel

Yet another reason to lose weight huh? Less forceful falls!

LabRat529

There's always the possibility of a fracture. However, without an xray, you're not going to know for sure. And it's most likely to be what you suspect- a very bad bruise.

There's not much you can do to make it heal faster. Ice, which you've done, and time. You can also take ibuprofen.

Sorry I can't offer anything better. Hope you feel better soon.

Sidesteal

There's always the possibility of a fracture. However, without an xray, you're not going to know for sure. And it's most likely to be what you suspect- a very bad bruise.

There's not much you can do to make it heal faster. Ice, which you've done, and time. You can also take ibuprofen.

Sorry I can't offer anything better. Hope you feel better soon.

I just came in here to see what LabRat said. She has good things to say.

tajmel

There's always the possibility of a fracture. However, without an xray, you're not going to know for sure. And it's most likely to be what you suspect- a very bad bruise.

There's not much you can do to make it heal faster. Ice, which you've done, and time. You can also take ibuprofen.

Sorry I can't offer anything better. Hope you feel better soon.

I just came in here to see what LabRat said. She has good things to say.

She sure does. Thanks for assuaging my hypochondriac fears labrat

Jules2Be

so, why do you need to be on your knees?

tajmel

so, why do you need to be on your knees?

Was waiting for that... haha...

Jules2Be

so, why do you need to be on your knees?

Was waiting for that... haha...

:flowerforyou:

sz8soon

If I knew how to post pictures I would, I bruised my arm so bad a few months ago during a mud run, I thought I broke it, couldn't stand anything touching it, it was all sorts of colorful and went around my entire forearm and elbow, long story short- it was just a bruise. I did end up getting these weird little b.b feeling bumps under my skin that lasted r for a while though, so if that happens it's normal too.

If anything is still concerning you though, call the advice nurse. In the mean time, like everyone said, ice and ibuprofen. Hope you feel better soon

vodkoffee

If I knew how to post pictures I would, I bruised my arm so bad a few months ago during a mud run, I thought I broke it, couldn't stand anything touching it, it was all sorts of colorful and went around my entire forearm and elbow, long story short- it was just a bruise. I did end up getting these weird little b.b feeling bumps under my skin that lasted r for a while though, so if that happens it's normal too.

If anything is still concerning you though, call the advice nurse. In the mean time, like everyone said, ice and ibuprofen. Hope you feel better soon

I had those bumps from a seatbelt after a car accident! Creepy and painful, but indeed normal.

Cait_Sidhe

There's always the possibility of a fracture. However, without an xray, you're not going to know for sure. And it's most likely to be what you suspect- a very bad bruise.

There's not much you can do to make it heal faster. Ice, which you've done, and time. You can also take ibuprofen.

Sorry I can't offer anything better. Hope you feel better soon.

I just came in here to see what LabRat said. She has good things to say.

It's the whole reason I came here too. Was also gonna offer advice if there was petechia, etc. but since there's not, listen to Labrat.

Diary_Queen

im not sure if it's true or not, but ive heard that vitamin c helps your body with healing bruising... of course its just good practice to take vitamins if you feel you need them or if you are changing the foods you eat to make sure your body is nourished properly. also, make sure to keep your bruise away from any heat sources or the blood will spread around a bunch and look much worse than it is.

wannaplay2505

Sounds like a really bad contusion. Pineapple juice helps with bruising and swelling.

lindsy721

Arnica for the bruising. I have a lot of bruises in my life, heh (reality of pole dancing) and almost all of us pole girls use arnica. Get an x-ray if there is any tenderness to the touch at all. And perhaps try staying off of your knees for a bit.

zophiel67

Massaging the area, while painful, will help the bruise fade faster. This sounds like a hematoma rather than a bruise, though. Not really any more worrisome - it just means that the skin was ripped loose from the underlying tissue so the blood is forming a pocket rather than just leaking around like it would with a bruise. That's also why those bumps can come up - they're little clots. The only medical concern that I know of for these types of injuries is scar tissue buildup (unusual) and infection (rare). But then keep in mind, I'm not a "real" doctor. I just work on dogs, cats, rabbits, ferrets, guinea pigs, birds, rats, reptiles, and non-human primates. :drinker:

ps- No, I don't actually see monkeys. But I could if I wanted to.

girlinahat

arnica cream

AnneM69

A good way to massage the bruise is to get in a warm bath or shower, get the area warm enough that you can feel and see the blood moving, then with your hand use a soapy washcloth/exfoliater and rub over the bruise from bottom to top. It'll shift the blood away from the surface of the skin so it gets back into circulation round your body.
I used to get a lot of bruises on my arms and legs years ago and I worked this method out as an easy, quick way of getting rid of them. I was embarrassed by them and I didn't want anyone to see them, and I couldn't wear clothes covering them all the time so I had to do something.

shabaity

if it lasts a full 2 weeks go get your sugar tested cause that is one symptom of diabetes along with tiredness irritability and tingling in your hands and face being one of the more out there ones

rml_16

When I was in my very early 20s, I managed, in two separate incidents, to severely bruise each of my thighs (in exactly the same place on each thigh. Don't ask.). Those bruises were still visible a good year later. So, it isn't unusual for a severe bruise to stick around for a long time and since it's broken blood vessels/capillaries under the skin, you kind of just have to wait for your body to absorb it.

I'm pretty sure there's no cause for concern, but you might want to call your doctor just to be certain.

UsedToBeHusky

A bruise is formed from broken blood vessels. If it's not swollen and doesn't hurt, then it's healing. I'm not sure, but cold/hot compresses might make it less dark, but other than that, you are just going to have to wait and let it heal.

Swissmiss

There's always the possibility of a fracture. However, without an xray, you're not going to know for sure. And it's most likely to be what you suspect- a very bad bruise.

There's not much you can do to make it heal faster. Ice, which you've done, and time. You can also take ibuprofen.

Sorry I can't offer anything better. Hope you feel better soon.

I just came in here to see what LabRat said. She has good things to say.

Sidesteal...got to ask...is that you in the picture???

rml_16

ps- No, I don't actually see monkeys. But I could if I wanted to.

Why would someone NOT want to see monkeys??????

jarrettd

Shin bruises can be brutal! Not much meat between skin and bone, so the force is less distributed.

About 15 years ago, I was hit by a piece of poplar while splitting wood, hard enough to knock me off my feet. It swelled just like you described, with very deep purple and black bruising, and that feeling of little knots under the skin.

Mine was rather numb to the touch, and stayed that way. From the point of impact mid-shin, up toward my knee, I have an area the size of my hand that has no feeling whatsoever. My husband has even held heat near it...nothing! I can only guess that surface nerves were smashed beyond repair. You can't tell it to look at it, though.

I agree with treating with ice and pain relievers, then heat and massage. Watch for signs of reduced circulation, infection, or difficulty breathing, as this can be quite serious. Hope you heal quickly and completely!

tajmel

ps- No, I don't actually see monkeys. But I could if I wanted to.

Why would you not want to see monkeys?! Haha. Thanks for the advice

.

I'll see if I'm tough enough to try massage! I'll also do the alternating hot and cold thing and see if I can find some arnica.

As to diabetes, I don't actually bruise easily, and recently had a physical including a fasting glucose test. I'm not diabetic, but thanks for the concern