How do you treat a bad bruise on the leg. What are the most effective methods for healing bruises quickly. When should you apply ice or heat to a bruise. Which natural remedies can help reduce bruising. How long does it typically take for a bruise to heal completely.
Understanding Bruise Formation and Healing Process
Bruises occur when small blood vessels beneath the skin break due to impact or injury. The leaked blood accumulates under the skin, causing the characteristic discoloration. A typical bruise goes through several color changes as it heals, lasting up to two weeks. During this time, you may experience pain and swelling, especially in the first few days after the injury.
The Stages of Bruise Healing
Understanding the stages of bruise healing can help you monitor your recovery:
- Red/Purple: Initial stage, blood pooling under the skin
- Blue/Dark Purple: Blood begins to lose oxygen
- Green: Hemoglobin breaks down
- Yellow/Brown: Final stage before disappearing
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Immediate Actions for Treating a Bad Leg Bruise
When you sustain a bruise on your leg, taking prompt action can significantly impact the healing process. Here are some immediate steps to take:
Ice Therapy: The First Line of Defense
Applying ice to a bruise immediately after injury is crucial. This cold therapy helps reduce the size of the bruise by slowing blood flow in the affected area, potentially limiting the amount of blood that leaks from the vessels. How should you apply ice correctly?
- Wrap ice in a washcloth or paper towel to protect your skin
- Apply for 10 minutes at a time
- Repeat several times a day, allowing breaks between applications
Is it safe to use alternatives to ice packs? While you may have heard of using raw steak on bruises, this is not recommended due to potential bacterial contamination. Instead, a bag of frozen peas can serve as an effective substitute for an ice pack.
Rest and Elevation: Minimizing Further Damage
Resting the injured area is crucial to prevent the bruise from worsening. Why is elevation important? Raising the bruised leg above heart level uses gravity to your advantage, potentially reducing the pooling of blood and minimizing bruise size. For optimal results, combine rest with elevation to promote faster healing.
Advanced Bruise Treatment Techniques
After the initial 48 hours, you can employ additional strategies to accelerate the healing process:
Heat Therapy: Boosting Blood Flow
Heat can be beneficial in promoting blood flow and clearing up a bruise. How should you apply heat therapy?
- Wait at least 48 hours after the injury before applying heat
- Use a heating pad or warm compress several times daily
- Consider soaking in a warm bath to ease pain and relax muscles
Compression: Managing Swelling
Applying pressure to the bruised area can help reduce swelling. How do you properly compress a bruise? Use an elastic bandage to wrap the area firmly but not too tightly, ensuring proper circulation.
Pain Management for Bruises
While bruise pain typically subsides within three days, you may seek relief during this period. Which over-the-counter medications are suitable for bruise pain?
- NSAIDs like ibuprofen or naproxen can help relieve pain and reduce inflammation
- Acetaminophen can provide pain relief without affecting blood flow
It’s important to note that NSAIDs may slightly increase bleeding, especially in elderly patients or those on blood thinners. Consult with a healthcare professional if you have concerns about using pain relievers.
Natural Remedies for Bruise Healing
Several natural substances have shown potential in accelerating bruise healing:
Arnica: Nature’s Bruise Remedy
Arnica cream, derived from the arnica flower, may help reduce bruising effects. How does arnica work on bruises? It’s believed to have anti-inflammatory properties that can help minimize swelling and discoloration.
Bromelain: Pineapple’s Healing Enzyme
Bromelain, a group of enzymes found in pineapples, may speed up bruise healing. How can you incorporate bromelain into your bruise treatment? Consider taking bromelain supplements or consuming fresh pineapple to potentially benefit from its anti-inflammatory properties.
Aloe Vera: Soothing Skin Healer
Aloe vera is renowned for its skin-soothing properties. How can aloe vera help with bruises? Its combination of vitamins, minerals, and enzymes can help moisturize the skin and potentially reduce inflammation in the bruised area.
Vitamin K: Boosting Bruise Recovery
Studies have shown that vitamin K1 (phytonadione) can accelerate bruise healing. How can you increase your vitamin K intake? Consider incorporating vitamin K-rich foods into your diet or using topical vitamin K creams to potentially speed up bruise recovery.
When to Seek Medical Attention for a Bruise
While most bruises heal on their own, certain situations warrant medical attention. When should you consult a healthcare professional about a bruise?
- The bruise is extremely large or painful
- You experience frequent, unexplained bruising
- The bruise doesn’t show signs of improvement after two weeks
- You’re on blood thinners and experience excessive bruising
- The bruise is accompanied by significant swelling or fever
Preventing Bruises: Strategies for Minimizing Injury
While it’s impossible to prevent all bruises, you can take steps to reduce your risk of injury. How can you minimize the likelihood of bruising?
- Wear protective gear during sports and physical activities
- Ensure your living space is free of tripping hazards
- Maintain a balanced diet rich in vitamins C and K to support skin health
- Stay hydrated to maintain skin elasticity
- Exercise regularly to improve balance and coordination
Bruise Healing Myths: Separating Fact from Fiction
There are many misconceptions about bruise treatment. Let’s address some common myths:
Myth: Massaging a Bruise Speeds Healing
Despite the temptation to massage a sore spot, this can actually worsen the bruise. Why is massaging a bruise harmful? It can break more blood vessels under the skin, potentially increasing the size of the bruised area.
Myth: All Bruises Heal at the Same Rate
Bruise healing time can vary significantly based on factors such as the severity of the injury, the individual’s age, and overall health. Why do some bruises take longer to heal? Factors like poor circulation, certain medications, and nutritional deficiencies can all impact healing time.
Myth: Bruises Only Occur from Visible Injuries
While most bruises result from obvious impacts, some can occur without apparent cause. Why might you develop unexplained bruises? Certain medical conditions, medications, or nutritional deficiencies can increase bruising tendency.
Understanding the truth behind these myths can help you approach bruise treatment more effectively and know when to seek medical advice.
Treatment Tips To Get A Bruise To Heal
Written by WebMD Editorial Contributors
Medically Reviewed by Jabeen Begum, MD on September 09, 2022
- Ice Therapy
- Heat Therapy
- Rest
- Elevation
- Compression
- Pain Relievers
- Natural Treatments
- More
When someone hits you — or you bump into something hard — it can break the small blood vessels beneath your skin. That’s where a bruise forms. This happens because the blood leaks out and has nowhere else to go. It stays there until your body absorbs it while you’re healing.
Once you’re bruised, you’ll have that telltale black-and-blue mark on your skin for up to 2 weeks. The bruise should change colors as it heals. You may also have some pain and swelling. It will hurt most in the first few days after your injury.
When you’re bruised, there are simple things you can do to try to help the healing process along. Here are some tips that may help your bruise go away more quickly.
Put ice on your bruise right after you get injured. That can reduce the size of your bruise, which may allow it to heal faster. The cold temperature from an ice pack makes the blood in that area flow more slowly. It may reduce the amount of blood that leaks out of your vessels.
Don’t put ice directly on your bruise. Protect your skin by wrapping the ice in a washcloth or paper towel. Take the ice off after about 10 minutes. Leaving it on too long could harm your skin. It’s OK to put ice on your bruise several times a day, as long as you take a break after every time you do it.
Peas, yes. Steak, no. You may have seen people in old movies or cartoons putting raw steaks on their bruises — especially on black eyes. Don’t do this yourself. It’s not safe to handle raw meat or place it against your eye or another body part, since it may be loaded with bacteria. Steaks and other raw meats don’t have special healing powers that can help a bruise.
Raw meat tends to be cold, so that’s why it may have been used to soothe sore spots in decades past. If you don’t have any ice in your freezer, reach for a bag of frozen peas instead of a steak. Place the whole bag of veggies on your bruise for 10 minutes at a time to ease the pain, just like you would with ice.
Heat boosts blood flow, and that can help clear up a bruise. Wait until 48 hours after the bruise appeared, then put a heating pad or warm compress on it several times a day. You also might soak in a hot bath to ease pain and loosen up your muscles.
Stop what you’re doing when you get hurt. That can keep the bruise from getting worse. If you get kicked during a soccer game, get off the field. Get off your feet. This slows down the blood flow to your bruise. That should keep it from becoming worse than if you kept running around.
You may want to massage the sore spot when you’re resting, but it’s a bad idea. That can make the injured spot worse. You may break more blood vessels under the skin and make the bruised area larger.
After you’re injured, it helps if you raise it above the level of your heart. This trick uses gravity to help keep your bruise as small as can be. When the sore spot is below the level of your heart, the blood there pools more easily, which can make the bruise larger. But when the sore spot is lifted above your heart, more blood will flow back to your heart.
For best results, combine steps: Rest the bruise and raise it above the level of your heart.
Compression is when you put pressure on the injured area. It can help ease any swelling caused by the bruise. It’s best to use an elastic bandage and wrap the area firmly but not too tight.
Your pain should begin to subside about 3 days after you were bruised. In the meantime, if the bruise really hurts or is swollen, you can take over-the-counter drugs to relieve your pain. NSAIDs, such as ibuprofen or naproxen can be used, though there is a slight increase in bleeding especially in elderly patients or in those already on a blood thinner.
A few natural substances may help get rid of a bruise more quickly, including:
- Arnica: This cream made with this flower may help lessen the effects of a bruise.
- Bromelain: A group of enzymes found in the pineapple, may help make a bruise go away faster.
- Aloe vera: This plant has vitamins, minerals, and enzymes that soothe and moisturize the skin. It’s used to treat many types of skin conditions, including bruises.
- Vitamin K: Studies have shown that phytonadione, or vitamin K1, can speed up the healing of bruising.
Top Picks
Treatment Tips To Get A Bruise To Heal
Written by WebMD Editorial Contributors
Medically Reviewed by Jabeen Begum, MD on September 09, 2022
- Ice Therapy
- Heat Therapy
- Rest
- Elevation
- Compression
- Pain Relievers
- Natural Treatments
- More
When someone hits you — or you bump into something hard — it can break the small blood vessels beneath your skin.
That’s where a bruise forms. This happens because the blood leaks out and has nowhere else to go. It stays there until your body absorbs it while you’re healing.
Once you’re bruised, you’ll have that telltale black-and-blue mark on your skin for up to 2 weeks. The bruise should change colors as it heals. You may also have some pain and swelling. It will hurt most in the first few days after your injury.
When you’re bruised, there are simple things you can do to try to help the healing process along. Here are some tips that may help your bruise go away more quickly.
Put ice on your bruise right after you get injured. That can reduce the size of your bruise, which may allow it to heal faster. The cold temperature from an ice pack makes the blood in that area flow more slowly. It may reduce the amount of blood that leaks out of your vessels.
Don’t put ice directly on your bruise. Protect your skin by wrapping the ice in a washcloth or paper towel. Take the ice off after about 10 minutes.:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/common-causes-of-foot-and-ankle-swelling-1337777-5c04ad02c9e77c0001b0f9e0.png)
Leaving it on too long could harm your skin. It’s OK to put ice on your bruise several times a day, as long as you take a break after every time you do it.
Peas, yes. Steak, no. You may have seen people in old movies or cartoons putting raw steaks on their bruises — especially on black eyes. Don’t do this yourself. It’s not safe to handle raw meat or place it against your eye or another body part, since it may be loaded with bacteria. Steaks and other raw meats don’t have special healing powers that can help a bruise. Raw meat tends to be cold, so that’s why it may have been used to soothe sore spots in decades past. If you don’t have any ice in your freezer, reach for a bag of frozen peas instead of a steak. Place the whole bag of veggies on your bruise for 10 minutes at a time to ease the pain, just like you would with ice.
Heat boosts blood flow, and that can help clear up a bruise. Wait until 48 hours after the bruise appeared, then put a heating pad or warm compress on it several times a day.
You also might soak in a hot bath to ease pain and loosen up your muscles.
Stop what you’re doing when you get hurt. That can keep the bruise from getting worse. If you get kicked during a soccer game, get off the field. Get off your feet. This slows down the blood flow to your bruise. That should keep it from becoming worse than if you kept running around.
You may want to massage the sore spot when you’re resting, but it’s a bad idea. That can make the injured spot worse. You may break more blood vessels under the skin and make the bruised area larger.
After you’re injured, it helps if you raise it above the level of your heart. This trick uses gravity to help keep your bruise as small as can be. When the sore spot is below the level of your heart, the blood there pools more easily, which can make the bruise larger. But when the sore spot is lifted above your heart, more blood will flow back to your heart.
For best results, combine steps: Rest the bruise and raise it above the level of your heart.
Compression is when you put pressure on the injured area. It can help ease any swelling caused by the bruise. It’s best to use an elastic bandage and wrap the area firmly but not too tight.
Your pain should begin to subside about 3 days after you were bruised. In the meantime, if the bruise really hurts or is swollen, you can take over-the-counter drugs to relieve your pain. NSAIDs, such as ibuprofen or naproxen can be used, though there is a slight increase in bleeding especially in elderly patients or in those already on a blood thinner.
A few natural substances may help get rid of a bruise more quickly, including:
- Arnica: This cream made with this flower may help lessen the effects of a bruise.
- Bromelain: A group of enzymes found in the pineapple, may help make a bruise go away faster.
- Aloe vera: This plant has vitamins, minerals, and enzymes that soothe and moisturize the skin. It’s used to treat many types of skin conditions, including bruises.
- Vitamin K: Studies have shown that phytonadione, or vitamin K1, can speed up the healing of bruising.
Top Picks
How to quickly remove a bruise: only scientific methods
Likbez
Health
May 9, 2018
The main thing is to do everything on time.
What are bruises
A bruise is one of the types of hematomas. But if the hematoma as a whole is an internal hemorrhage that occurs due to damage to blood vessels and can be quite extensive and serious, then bruises are relatively harmless damage to the smallest subcutaneous vessels – capillaries.
When bruised, the capillaries break, burst and blood flows out of them. The more leaked, the larger the size of the bruise.
How quickly bruises go away
On average, it takes our body two to three weeks to get rid of a bruise. All this time, the spilled blood is absorbed by the surrounding tissues.
At the same time, the more blood is under the skin, the more time it will take for the body to resolve the hematoma. Fortunately, the process can be accelerated.
But for this it is important to know at what stage of healing the bruise is.
Something that will help two days after the bruise cannot be done on the first day.
How to remove a bruise if less than a day has passed after the bruise
The bruise has not yet formed completely. The bruised area was slightly swollen and became reddish-pink. The color lasts from several hours to days.
The main task at this time is to prevent the bruise from growing.
1. Relax!
Try to limit movements, especially those involving the affected area of the body. The more movement, the stronger the blood flow and the more extensive the hematoma.
2. Apply a cold compress
Right after the injury! The faster, the less bruising. Under the influence of cold, the blood flow slows down, which means that less will flow into the subcutaneous tissues. In addition, a cold compress reduces pain.
An ice pack or frozen vegetables can be used as a compress. Wrap it in a thin cloth or towel and apply it to the injured area for 10 minutes. The procedure can be repeated after a 20-minute break.
On the first day, in no case should you warm up the bruised area, let alone massage it. This will increase blood flow and the bruise will grow.
3. Apply a pharmacy cream or gel for bruises without a warming effect
These drugs have anti-edematous and anti-inflammatory effects. Look for dimethyl sulfoxide, heparin and dexpanthenol in the list of active ingredients.
4. Try to keep the bruised area above the level of the heart
Naturally, if possible. For example, if your leg is injured, lie down on the sofa and place your feet on a cushion or armrest. Gravity will force the blood to drain from the bruise, which means that the size of the bruise will be smaller.
5. If the pain is severe, take painkillers
But not aspirin or ibuprofen. They thin the blood and can lead to an increase in the size of the hematoma.
How to remove a bruise if more than a day has passed since the bruise
As a rule, after 24 hours the bruise has already formed. The blood at the site of the bruise has darkened and shines through the skin with a blue, purple, or (if several days have passed since the injury) greenish tint.
1 / 0
The bruise begins to heal, the spilled blood loses oxygen and darkens. This takes up to 5 days.
2 / 0
These bruises begin around the sixth day.
This is a sign of the final destruction of hemoglobin.
3 / 0
This is how a hematoma looks like about a week after the injury. The bruise will not change anymore, except that it will slowly lighten.
Now the main task is to accelerate the resorption of the hematoma. The easiest way to achieve this is with heat.
1. Warm up
Warm compresses (you can apply a heating pad or a cloth moistened with warm water to the bruise), massages, as well as creams with a warming effect – containing badyaga, capsaicin (pepper alkaloid) and bee and snake venoms, have proven themselves well.
To speed up recovery, you can go to a hot bath. Unless, of course, you have no contraindications to this.
2. If it still hurts, take a pain reliever with a decongestant effect
For example, aspirin and ibuprofen (now possible). They are indicated if the bruise looks swollen. Of course, strictly follow the instructions for frequency and dosage!
3.
Use creams or compresses with herbal extracts and vitamins
- Ointment or gel based on arnica extract reduces swelling and accelerates regeneration.
- Vitamin K cream improves blood clotting and promotes the restoration of damaged capillaries and blood vessels.
- Aloe gel reduces pain and reduces inflammation. Gels with the highest possible content (up to 99%) of pure aloe juice work best.
- Vitamin C cream has anti-inflammatory properties and improves wound healing.
- Products based on pineapple extract, thanks to the plant enzyme bromelain contained in this fruit, have an anti-inflammatory effect and accelerate the disappearance of bruises. Pineapple doesn’t hurt either.
It is not necessary to use pharmacy products for restoration. For example, a compress of finely chopped onions (chopped, wrapped in gauze, pressed a little so that the onion releases juice, applied to the bruised area) will also give a positive effect due to the content of vitamin C.
4. Mask
A few days after the bruise, when the color fades, the bruise can be hidden with foundation. Choose a product with a yellowish undertone.
When to take a bruise to the doctor
Bruises do not always go away on their own. In addition, sometimes they can be symptoms of not the most pleasant diseases. Be sure to consult a therapist as soon as possible if the bruise:
- Does not disappear, although more than two weeks have passed since the bruise.
- Feels hard to the touch.
- Begins to increase in size and/or becomes more painful.
- Adds pain to the movement of the joint next to which it is located.
- Located next to the eye and seems to impair vision.
- Appeared for no apparent reason. And not only that: you regularly notice more and more bruises on the skin of an origin that is not entirely clear to you.
- Begins to show signs of infection: there is some discharge from the skin on the damaged area, the temperature rises.
All this may indicate that the hemorrhage is much deeper and more extensive than you thought, and for some reason the body tissues cannot cope with such an amount of blood. In this case, to get rid of the hematoma, you will need the help of a doctor.
Diseases of internal organs and physiological fragility of blood vessels are also not excluded. These situations also require the attention of a specialist.
Read also 🧐
- How to remove bumps from injections
- What to do when nose bleeds
- How to remove bags under the eyes: 10 effective ways
Treatment of hematoma on the leg
Hematoma is an accumulation of blood in the tissues of the human body, and its occurrence is caused by damage due to falls and blows. In some cases, the appearance of a hematoma is not associated with physical effects, but is explained by the presence of a specific disease in a person.
In most situations (this applies to small hematomas), there are no serious consequences, and the inflammation itself disappears after a while.:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/talus-fractures-2549436_final-3b5774c8102f4aa58615e0df5e2af0f7.png)
However, cases that require medical advice and qualified treatment are not uncommon. Ignoring a bruise can lead to cysts or tissue necrosis.
Signs of a hematoma on the leg after an injury
- pain at the site of the injury;
- tissue redness;
- appearance of edema;
- tension, pulsation in the impact area;
- difficulty in movement at the site of injury;
- fever.
Types of hematomas on the leg
There are two types of hematomas according to the nature of their manifestation: subcutaneous and internal. The first occurs when the vessels are damaged, it is easy to detect, due to the bright color of the skin (from red to purple in the early days, and in yellow-green tones in the future). The second is more difficult to diagnose, since the place of its occurrence is the muscles themselves, and there are no traces on the skin.
Why it is not recommended to treat a hematoma on the leg at home
If there is a large accumulation of blood under the skin, it must be removed.
There are enough videos and articles on the Internet describing this procedure at home, but it is absolutely impossible to follow such advice. Firstly, a person runs the risk of injuring the leg even more and disrupting its normal functioning, up to disability. Secondly, and more likely, you can introduce an infection into the body and provoke even more inflammation. Thirdly, only an experienced doctor using special devices will do this carefully, but independent attempts can permanently disfigure the skin and leave unaesthetic scars on it.
Methods for diagnosing a hematoma on the leg
First of all, the specialist examines the hematoma. To clarify the severity of the injury, an x-ray may be ordered to ensure the integrity of the bone structures.
In case of damage to the knee joint, a puncture is performed – the joint is pierced to analyze the contents of the hematoma. If blood is found in the fluid, this indicates a hemorrhage into the cavity.
Treatment of a hematoma on the leg
Usually, a hematoma on the leg after an injury is treated by two methods: conservative and surgical.
