Who looks at the bruises on the leg. Treatment of a bruised leg at home with medications and folk remedies

Leg bruise is the most common type of injury lower limbs, in which damage to soft tissues occurs without changing their structure. If the toes, foot, knee or thigh are severely bruised, a large hematoma can form. In this case, you need to provide first aid as quickly as possible, and then continue full treatment.

Common Causes of Injury

There is probably no person who has not felt all the delights of a bruise at least once in his life. Only at first glance it may seem that this is an annoying everyday nuisance. In reality, a bruise is closed injury muscle, nervous, connective and vascular tissues, only without breaking bones.

As a result of such an injury, the epidermis, subcutaneous tissue, and muscle fibers are damaged. After the blow, nerves and blood vessels may be damaged, in which case internal hemorrhage will lead to hematoma and swelling.

Contusion of the lower extremities most often occurs for the following reasons:

  • falling at home or on the street;
  • blow with a blunt object, in sports, industrial, household or road injuries.

It is most often found in children, due to their high activity, and people doing heavy physical work.

Characteristic signs

The body's response to injury is as follows:

  1. Initially, a spasm of blood vessels occurs, but then they quickly begin to expand. Liquid leaks from the vessel and soaks the tissue. As a result, swelling appears at the site of the injury, and then tissue compaction forms.
  2. If the vessels were ruptured upon impact, the blood ends up in the interstitial space and turns it bluish. One of characteristic symptoms bruise - the appearance of internal hemorrhage. From small capillary vessels, blood will continue to ooze for about 10 minutes, from larger ones - for at least a day. The first three days after a bruise, the injured area will be painted a rich purple-bluish color, which will turn yellow over time, and after a week the healthy skin color will be completely restored.
  3. If the blood only permeates the adjacent tissues, then a bruise is visible, but if it accumulates in them, a hematoma is formed. In rare cases, a hematoma can cause tissue to peel off.
  4. If the anterior surface of the leg, where the bone is protected only by the skin, has been damaged, very sharp, severe pain occurs and the rapid formation of a hematoma.
  5. With a severe injury, blood flows into the joint capsules, thereby causing hemarthrosis.

External signs of bruises largely depend on their location. For example, on the thighs there is a layer of loose subcutaneous fat, and this provokes the appearance of large hematomas during injury.

characterized by acute pain, up to fainting. The strongest painful sensations occur when there is injury to the periosteum, which contains the highest concentration of pain receptors. If after the injury the feeling of pain takes on a pronounced pulsating character and does not go away for a long time, then this indicates the appearance of a hematoma under the periosteum. can hurt so much, especially when pressed, that a bruise can easily be confused with a fracture. In this case, it is recommended to take an x-ray.

Stubbed toes may seem completely harmless, but this is far from the case. As a rule, fingers are injured during movement, sometimes at high speed, as a result of which they take a strong blow. Tendons and small fragile bones are damaged, which can lead to complications in the future when walking.

To exclude a possible fracture, you should contact a surgeon or traumatologist, and only after consultation begin treatment of the bruise.

First aid

If severe bruises occur, seek medical attention. But, unfortunately, not always and not everyone has such an opportunity. That's why it's so important to know what to do first when you get a leg injury.

  1. The injured limb should be ensured complete rest by placing the injured person on a flat, hard surface.
  2. It is necessary to place a cushion or pillow under the injured leg so that it is on a small hill.
  3. In the first two hours, the bruised area should be treated with cold. An ice pack, a package of frozen convenience foods, or a bottle of frozen water are suitable for these purposes. Exposure to cold should last no more than 20-30 minutes, after which a break is taken for an hour, and then the procedure continues.
  4. A day later, the bruised area should be treated with warming ointments, gels, etc.
  5. For severe pain, you can take painkillers.

If it is difficult to move your leg, you should consult a doctor as soon as possible.

Therapeutic measures

After first aid has been provided and the possibility of a leg fracture has been ruled out, subsequent treatment of the bruise can be continued at home. In this case, you can combine methods traditional medicine and folk remedies.

To remove the seal after a bruise, you should resort to thermal procedures, agents with anti-inflammatory and absorbable effects. To provide warmth, you can use a heating pad with warm water or.

Gels, ointments, and alcohol compresses. The bruised area should be smeared with them 3-4 times a day, following a simple principle: the greater the swelling, the more ointment should be used.

Ointments are chosen based on their properties:

  1. Heparin-based products will help to cope with a severe hematoma: Lyoton, Trombless,.
  2. To strengthen the walls of blood vessels and improve blood circulation, it is recommended to use Troxevasin ointment.
  3. Diclofenac, Fastum-gel, Nurofen gel, Nimesil will help relieve pain, relieve inflammation and swelling.

If the leg is very swollen, you need to anoint it more thickly with the chosen product. To enhance the effect of the medication, the damaged area can be wrapped in cling film and secured: this way, the active components of the ointment can begin their healing effect on the bruise faster and more effectively.

Ointments and gels are not used if the skin is damaged.

Compresses with dimexide give good results in the treatment of bruises.

The recipe for preparing a healing remedy is very simple:

  1. Dimexide should be diluted with water in a ratio of 1:3, stirred, soak gauze with the resulting solution and apply to the damaged area.
  2. Place polyethylene on top and secure the compress with a bandage.

To strengthen the walls of blood vessels and reduce capillary fragility, it is recommended to take vitamin C in the form of ascorbic acid.

If the bruise causes severe discomfort when walking, you can ease the load on the injured area using a fixing bandage. As a rule, elastic bandages or an orthosis are used for these purposes - a special bandage that immobilizes the bruised joint.

In most cases, bruises heal quickly without leaving complications. Surgery may be required if:

  • suppuration of a bruise;
  • damage to nerve endings;
  • intra-articular hemorrhage;
  • ligament rupture.

Recovery from a bruise will be faster and more effective if you follow the rules. Prohibited actions include:

  • warming up the bruise on the first day, using ointments and compresses;
  • rubbing medicines with great pressure;
  • self-treatment of a bruise in case of acute severe pain that does not stop for a day or more;
  • ignoring problems when walking and other movements of the injured leg.

If any alarming symptom appears or your health deteriorates, you must get a qualified professional as soon as possible. medical care. Inaction or self-medication in this case may lead to serious problems with health.

Doctors define a bruise as damage to soft tissue without compromising the integrity of the skin. Such an injury can occur when falling on a hard object or, conversely, from a blow to the lower limb with a hard object.

A severe bruise is very easy to confuse with a more serious injury - rupture of ligaments and muscles or a fracture. This happens because the injuries are similar in basic features.

Reasons

A leg bruise can occur from a fall, a blow, or being pinched by a door. Playing sports, in particular extreme sports, as well as road accidents also serve as circumstances for getting bruises.

The main factors for leg injury are:

Foot and ankle joint may be injured if a heavy object falls on the leg;

A bruise to the calf muscle most often occurs when there is a direct blow to the leg with a heavy object;

The hip can be injured during an accident, during a fall, while playing sports, or from a strong blow;

A knee bruise occurs from a fall and a blow to the knee joint;

Hip joint suffers from blows and falls on the side. All segments of the population are susceptible to all these factors, but most of all children, the elderly and athletes.

Degree of injury

The bruise can be of varying degrees of severity, and accordingly, the treatment will be different in each specific case.

  1. With a slight bruise, minor damage to the skin is noted. These may be abrasions or scratches. In this case, the muscles and bones of the leg are not affected. This degree of injury does not require special treatment and goes away in 3-4 days.
  2. The resulting hematoma and swelling of the tissue indicates the second degree and treatment of a leg bruise is required. Bruises appear due to rupture blood vessels, and swelling from damage to the structure muscle tissue.
  3. In the third degree, the muscles and tendons of the bruised leg are damaged. If you do not go to the emergency room with such an injury, it will lead to serious complications. The greatest danger is a third-degree knee injury.
  4. The most dangerous leg bruises are of the fourth degree. Due to severe bruising, the injured limb loses its functionality, which can lead to disability.

As you can see, all degrees except the first are an indication for examination by a traumatologist and initiation of treatment.

Signs and symptoms

Signs of injury:

  • after a sharp short-term painful sensation, the pain gradually subsides and becomes aching;
  • after a few minutes, soft tissue swelling may appear;
  • possible bruising is evidence of internal hemorrhage of small vessels.

A symptom accompanying the bruise is involuntary contraction of the muscles and tendons, a violation of their elasticity, which leads to additional pain when trying to step on the injured leg.

With a severe bruise of the heel, heaviness, stiffness, numbness of varying degrees of localization, pain, and swelling are felt. A bone bruise is a closed mechanical injury without violating the integrity of bone tissue. As swelling and pain localize, the limitation of motor function increases.

Associated damage:

  • sprain or disruption of the integrity (rupture) of tendons and ligaments;
  • damage to the nail plates;
  • dislocation or fracture of the foot.

They may not be identified immediately, but will nevertheless require close attention and serious treatment.

With incorrect diagnosis or unskilled self-medication, sometimes additional connective or bone tissue, irritation of nerve fibers.

When a finger is injured, damage to the subungual tissue is not immediately detected. Dystrophic bone pathology becomes a serious complication. Then the treatment lasts for 2-4 weeks or more.

Sometimes you have to conduct an inspection in the field and take emergency measures using home remedies.

The symptoms of this phenomenon are obvious; you don’t need to be a doctor to understand what happened.

  • Initially there is a feeling of strong and sharp pain, the intensity of which gradually weakens or, on the contrary, increases. Over time, the pain becomes aching.
  • It is painful to move the injured leg. Or in some specific area of ​​the limb, movement becomes painful or completely paralyzed, which happens with severe bruises.
  • The bruised area of ​​the leg gradually swells and swelling begins.
  • In the case of subcutaneous hemorrhage, hematomas appear.

It is painful to lean on or step on the sore leg. At such moments the temperature may rise. The person becomes nervous and irritable.

Signs and symptoms

In case of bruises, the skin is not damaged, the main

damage to soft tissues

With a severe bruise, not only soft injuries can be damaged, but also internal organs(for example, a brain contusion may be diagnosed).

Features of treatment with folk remedies

It is also recommended to apply mugs of cut potatoes (naturally, first wash the potatoes, peel them, cut them into slices about 0.5 cm thick and apply these slices to the bruise site for 10-15 minutes).

Another way is to apply fresh cabbage leaves to the bruised area of ​​the leg.

It is also possible to use ointments that accelerate the resorption of the hematoma and relieve swelling.

Folk remedies

A person facing this problem should know how to treat leg bruises at home. There's really nothing complicated about it. Here are some tips on how to heal your foot if your foot or other part is bruised.

Traditional medicine has repeatedly proven its effectiveness in treating diseases and injuries. Home methods and techniques have been proven by many years, if not centuries of experience, and are available. You can prepare the drugs yourself.

So, if you are sure that there is no fracture, rupture, open deep wounds, try to perform a number of simple manipulations:

Acute pain and swelling are relieved in 1-3 days, but residual effects require a certain rehabilitation period.

Thus, a foot bruise, aggravated by sprains, swelling, and sharp pain, is an injury that is quite common at any time of the year. She lies in wait on the sports ground, bad roads, ice, outdoor games, falls.

In most cases, it can be dealt with at home, as long as we rule out fractures and ligament tears. Then surgery will be required. In all other cases, you can do without hospitalization. Success is in our hands.

These materials will be of interest to you:

How to treat a bruised leg at home and without using medications? This is a question many people who have suffered this injury ask themselves. Folk remedies are an excellent help, but before that you need to discuss the treatment of bruises with a traumatologist.

First aid

To normalize a person’s condition and prevent complications, you need to know what to do if you bruise your leg. Timely first aid for bruises is the key to a quick recovery and a short recovery period.

Despite their apparent simplicity and primitiveness, you should not neglect first aid methods for a bruised leg.

Do not neglect a cold compress in the first minutes after a bruise - it will help prevent the appearance of a large hematoma and relieve pain and swelling.

Pressure bandage on knee joint will help avoid major swelling.

Keeping your bruised leg elevated is another effective method to minimize the consequences of injury.

It is important in the first hours after an injury to understand which parts of the body were affected (bones, joints, organs). A pressure bandage is applied to the affected area. The injured leg needs to be rested. Abrasions and scratches are treated with a disinfectant. You can't steam your leg.

In the first hours, the bruise is treated with cold. It helps to constrict blood vessels and stop bleeding.

After 24 hours, warm baths, compresses and lotions are used. They reduce swelling and resolve hematoma.

At this stage of therapy, Nanoplast forte is used, an anti-inflammatory patch. The course of treatment at home is 3-9 days.

You cannot rub the bruise yourself. Otherwise, thrombophlebitis may develop.

If the swelling does not disappear for a long time, you should consult a traumatologist. For moderate and severe injuries, physiotherapy is prescribed and a UHF device is used.

If the leg is swollen, electrophoresis with a medicinal solution is indicated.

One of the most common injuries to the legs is bruises. They can be accompanied by serious consequences, for example, fracture, rupture of soft tissues and ligaments. If there are no such complications, then the manifestations of the bruise are reduced to pain, swelling, and hematoma. This requires treatment. Let's consider how a bruised leg manifests itself, and if it is swollen, what to do in such cases.

In modern life, few citizens pay attention to warming up their foot muscles. Because of this, a leg bruise is a common injury among the population, which occurs when there is a strong blow to some object, against it, or after a fall from a height. Damage to subcutaneous fatty tissue is more common.

A bruise of any severity is accompanied by pain.

You can recognize a leg bruise using the following signs of damage:

  • leg pain;
  • bruise;
  • hematoma;
  • swelling of the limb;
  • limitation of leg mobility.

Doctors distinguish four types of bruises:

  • 1st degree bruises;
  • 2nd degree bruises;
  • 3rd degree injury;
  • 4th degree of damage.

The first type is easy. In this case, the epidermis of the damaged area has scratches or abrasions. If the damage is not treated, it goes away on its own after 4 days and does not entail consequences.


The second degree of injury is characterized by hematoma and swelling.

The second degree involves muscle injury. Muscle rupture occurs. This causes the development of a hematoma and provokes swelling of the soft tissues. In the second degree of injury, a person feels severe pain, which is why he general condition getting worse. Medical practice shows that tendon rupture or stretching is more common. In severe cases, the injury is accompanied by dislocation.

Dangerous to health are those impacts that are characterized by the third degree of severity. This injury affects the knee, its joint, and may also affect the tailbone if the injury is caused by a fall.

Describing the 4th degree of bruises, it must be said that this injury is the most pronounced. More often this is associated with disorders that can permanently change a person’s quality of life. After healing, bruised areas do not perform their functions, and the person’s general condition can be threatening.

Symptoms


Symptoms of a bruised leg vary depending on the severity of the injury.

Pain is main feature bruise that occurs in any form. If the knee area is damaged, a large lump forms there, painful on palpation. The process is accompanied by swelling and hematoma.

If the pain is very severe, then this condition indicates that a bone fracture has occurred. In this case, immediate contact with a doctor is required after providing first aid to the victim.

When a toe is bruised, it is damaged soft fabrics, and the process can be complicated by a dislocation or fracture. This is a common injury that occurs in the summer due to wearing open shoes. With a slight bruise, the finger hurts sharply, the color of the skin changes, and it is impossible to move it.

When the phalanx is injured, severe pain occurs and hemorrhage occurs. Sometimes the nail gets damaged.

What to do with such an injury?

Bruises are much easier to heal than fractures or muscle strains. But, regardless of the degree of injury, first aid is necessary, and the need further treatment determined by the doctor.

First aid


Immediately after an injury, ice should be applied to the leg.

Before starting treatment, the victim is given first aid. To do this, sit him in a comfortable position or lay him on a comfortable surface. In this position, the injured limb will be at rest. To prevent blood from rushing to the site of injury, the leg is placed on a hill, and to avoid the development of blood stains or hematomas, ice is applied to the bruised area. It is better to wrap the ice cubes in a towel, then apply them to the skin for 15 minutes, providing the victim with complete peace.

If there is no ice, place the sore leg under the stream cold water and keep it like this for about 5 minutes. Then remove from the water and repeat the procedure for the same duration. After cooling, apply a pressure bandage to the sore spot, which will help stop the development of the hematoma.

These actions will help minimize negative consequences bruises.

Important! The patient should not walk or stand on his feet long time after injury. Subsequently, after first aid is provided, treatment is carried out.

Why first aid for bruises is important, a specialist explains in this video:

Further treatment

Next, the bruised tissues are warmed. Applying warming lotions, compresses and taking thermal baths helps reduce swelling and the appearance of hematoma. Use warming ointments for bruises -,. It gives a good effect, and if necessary, painkillers are prescribed.

Pain is relieved with pain-relieving patches and special drugs. If the bruise persists for a long time, doctors advise going to the hospital.

Important! After a day has passed since the injury, cooling the injured area is not required.

Rubbing is not allowed in therapy, as such actions will lead to the formation of blood clots. This disease is characterized by the formation of a blood clot in a vein.

If bacteria actively multiply in the resulting bruise, then this condition causes infection and provokes inflammatory process. Treatment of this injury is carried out in a hospital, where the surgeon opens the festering area.

Traditional medicine

The following methods are available to treat bruises using: traditional medicine:

  • applying plantain leaves;
  • taking foot baths with salt;
  • applying and fixing a cabbage leaf;
  • rubbing with alcohol.

Traditional methods are also used for treatment.

Compresses are applied to damaged areas from the following ingredients:

  • heated milk;
  • boiled or raw potatoes, mashed or cut into slices;
  • crushed aloe leaves help when a hematoma has formed on the leg;
  • a mixture of salt and chopped onions;
  • fresh wormwood in pounded form.

When a patient is allergic to plants or cannot tolerate medications, a compress from badyagi is used for treatment. The lotion is made from 20 grams of badyagi powder, which is diluted in warm water until a homogeneous mixture is obtained. They walk with the mixture under a bandage throughout the day. You need to change the bandage to a fresh one twice a day.

Possible complications

Severe bruises provoke serious consequences.

When a person receives a minor injury, there are no consequences in this case. Symptoms disappear within three or four days after injury.

If the injury affects muscles, ligaments, joints or bones, then the consequences take place. These could be:

  • lameness;
  • hematoma;
  • violation of the integrity of blood vessels;
  • inability to move the damaged joint.

A dangerous consequence of a bruised leg is periostitis. This is an inflammatory process characterized by bursting pain and a pronounced pulse. At the same time, the body temperature rises. To avoid further complications, antibiotics are prescribed in this case.

Conclusion

Bruises are damage to soft tissue that occurs as a result of a blow or fall. The injury manifests itself in varying degrees of severity, and in mild cases there are no consequences. In severe cases, the damage affects muscles, ligaments or bone, and also causes inflammation or suppuration of the damaged area.

Among leg injuries, the most common is soft tissue bruise. It occurs when you hit a blunt object or fall. Severe pain, hemorrhage, swelling of the leg after a bruise cause significant inconvenience, and sometimes even limit mobility.

Body tissues react differently to shock. Bones and tendons are highly resistant to such damage and are more easily harmed by abruptly changing the position of the limb. But the subcutaneous tissue and muscles can be severely injured even from minor mechanical impacts, and a leg bruise occurs. It is easy to figure out how to treat such injuries if you understand what processes occur in the body upon impact.

In the first seconds, small vessels rupture, blood flows out of them into the surrounding tissues and saturates them. After a few hours, hematomas appear, which look like blue spots under the skin. Bruising of the soft tissues of the leg contributes to the formation of swelling from spilled lymph directly at the site of injury. If a joint is affected, swelling spreads around it. The next day, inflammation and pain in the tissues are added to the swelling.

After 2–3 days, the hematoma begins to resolve and changes color to greenish and yellow. In normal cases, it will take a week to heal a bruised leg. But there are also complications:

  • The blood may not soak into the muscle, but may spill into a nearby joint. This threatens its swelling and poor mobility. In the small joints of the foot, the hematoma will resolve on its own, but the knee will require treatment at the emergency room.
  • If the blood does not penetrate the tissues, but pushes them apart, then a bruise with clear edges appears. A hematoma can compress nearby large vessels and nerves, and if an infection gets inside, it can lead to suppuration. In this case, the blood is released surgically, after which the doctor treats the resulting cavity.
  • Severe bruising can contribute to tissue death. The viability of the muscle is especially affected by the associated infection.

In all these cases, you cannot self-medicate; only a doctor can provide qualified assistance.

First aid for a bruised leg

The sooner help is provided, the less damage the limb will receive.

If the skin at the site of the bruise is scratched or chipped, it must be treated with an antiseptic to reduce swelling of the leg in next days. It is better to choose a transparent product so that changes on the skin are visible. Hydrogen peroxide, Chlorhexidine, Miramistin are suitable.

The next step is cooling the injury site, ideally in the first minutes after the injury. When cooling, blood vessels narrow, so less blood flows out, and the amount of damage decreases. A heating pad or bottle filled with cold water is placed on the leg. Any food from the freezer, wrapped in a towel, will also work. For minor bruises this treatment is quite sufficient. The rest will be done by the body itself.

Significant bruises also require treatment and cooling at home for the first 2 hours. The injured limb must be kept elevated to reduce swelling. It is better to lie down with something under your leg. After 2 hours, apply a bandage to the site of the injury, which should not press on the vessels and interfere with blood circulation.

It's time to go to the emergency room to rule out fractures, ligament tears and severe soft tissue damage. The traumatologist will also advise how to quickly cure a bruised leg, prescribe medications, painkillers and physiotherapy.

Subsequent treatment

So, the examination was carried out, the diagnosis is limited to a bruise of the soft tissues of the leg. Further treatment can be carried out at home.

In the first 2 days after the injury, you should continue to cool the damaged area, ideally this should be done for 15 minutes every hour. You should try not to put any strain on the affected limb, walk less, lie with your legs raised above the level of your head.

In the following days, treatment tactics change dramatically. Now the task is to speed up the resorption of the hematoma and relieve swelling. Heat will help with this: compresses, baths, lotions with a temperature of 37–39 degrees. Temperatures above these values ​​will do more harm than good, and the swelling will become more extensive.

If leg swelling has affected the joint, increased activity will be helpful during recovery. Movements in the joint should be performed carefully at first, with a small amplitude, and as they develop, increase the load.

How to treat a bruise? As a rule, official medicine uses ointments of two groups, based on sodium heparin and troxerutin:

  • Heparin sodium has an anti-inflammatory effect and promotes the resorption of blood clots. Preparations based on it: heparin ointment, Trombless, Venolife, Lyoton.
  • Troxerutin relieves swelling and inflammation, strengthens the walls of blood vessels. It is the active ingredient in Troxevasin, Troxegel.
  • Combined drugs containing both heparin and troxerutin: Venolife and Troxevasin Neo.

Gently rub ointments for bruises into the damaged area 2-4 times a day until the swelling in the leg after the bruise completely subsides and the hematoma disappears.

Folk remedies

How to effectively treat a bruised leg folk remedies? How to relieve swelling? Here are the most effective means:

  • Aloe will help with a bruised leg with swelling. In addition, this plant helps reduce inflammation. A clean aloe leaf must be crushed, the resulting pulp should be wrapped in gauze and applied to the bruise as a compress. The bandage can be kept on throughout the night.
  • Onions help improve blood circulation and speed up the resorption of bruises. A bandage soaked in onion juice is applied to the injured leg for 3 hours.
  • Plantain is an anti-inflammatory and analgesic; its crushed leaves are applied to a bruise. But you can also make your own medicinal ointment: Twist plantain leaves in a meat grinder, mix with soft butter. To enhance the effect, you can additionally add plantain juice.

All folk remedies are used only after the hematoma on the leg stops growing. On the first day, the bruised limb is cooled.

IN everyday life a person gets bruised very often different parts body, especially the lower and upper limbs. This is due to the fact that our hands and feet are involved in almost all vital processes and performing various functions. One of the most common injuries is considered to be a leg bruise, which involves closed damage to soft tissues without significantly compromising their integrity.

It is on the legs that one of the most important functions is assigned - musculoskeletal, and they receive significant loads every day in the form of our body weight. No one is immune from this injury, and you can get it in the most unexpected place at any time. Often this injury means damage to certain parts of the leg: the hip, or.

The causes of bruises of the lower extremities can be a simple fall, especially when we're talking about about children or people involved in sports at a professional level. Also common causes of a bruised leg are collisions with any hard objects or road accidents.

Symptoms and signs of bruise

Patients who received severe bruise legs most often indicate the following symptoms:

  • severe pain in the injured area of ​​the leg, characteristic of almost all bruises, preventing any movement;
  • the formation of swelling at the site of exposure, which may increase over time and develop into serious edema;
  • subcutaneous hemorrhage into soft tissues as a result of damage to blood vessels;
  • the formation of hemarthrosis - intra-articular accumulation of blood (most often occurs with a knee injury);
  • dysfunction of the affected joints;
  • difficulty moving and supporting the injured leg;
  • in especially severe cases, pain in the periosteum may occur, and sometimes its detachment or bone damage.

If we take into account the described signs, we can draw a conclusion about a bruise. Symptoms may vary in severity and severity. First of all, this is due to the severity of the injury, however, the individual characteristics of the injured person’s body also play an important role.

Providing first emergency aid

First aid for a bruised leg involves simple measures that almost anyone can do. The algorithm for dealing with bruises is as follows:

  • We provide the victim with complete rest; it is also advisable to take a horizontal position, in which the injured leg must be given a slightly elevated state. This will reduce blood flow to the sore spot and thereby reduce the resulting swelling and hematoma;
  • We apply a tight bandage to the injured area in such a way as to ensure normal blood circulation in the injured limb. This manipulation is especially appropriate if there is a suspicion of;
  • if there are skin lesions in the form of abrasions or scratches on the injured leg, they should be disinfected and seal with a bactericidal plaster;
  • We apply cold compresses to the bruise site, for which ice cubes from the refrigerator, wrapped in cellophane and a towel, are perfect. plastic bottle with cold water or cooling ointment;
  • If there is significant pain due to bruises, you can offer the victim to take any painkiller, for example, analgin.

If primary symptoms after self-provided assistance did not decrease or, on the contrary, more intense clinical manifestations of the victim became noticeable needs to be taken to the emergency room. Put accurate diagnosis necessary to exclude serious injuries, for example, a broken leg.

In such a situation, the first unqualified assistance provided independently will not give any positive results, and can also aggravate the patient’s situation, complicate further treatment and cause disastrous consequences for the patient.

In this situation, it is also very important to find out whether the joints have been damaged and to establish the integrity of the ligaments. In such cases, treatment will be much longer and more serious.

An experienced surgeon or traumatologist will be able to establish a diagnosis based on the patient’s external manifestations and complaints. Also, by the type of edema and hematoma, one can ascertain how long ago the injury was received. A large and blurry surface of the swelling will indicate that the injury occurred several days ago. As for the hematoma, the bruise you just received will have a blue-red tint. Blue-yellow bruises will indicate how long ago the injury was received - approximately 3-4 days, and yellow ones - 5-6 days.

If confirmation of the diagnosis is required, the specialist will refer the patient for x-rays, computer diagnostics or MRI. This way you can avoid various serious consequences associated with broken bones and torn ligaments.

Treatment of a leg after a bruise

On the first day after the injury, it is recommended to apply cold to the injured area of ​​the leg. Further, the cold will no longer be needed. The tactics of further treatment will change to impact at a pace. These can be dry or wet warm compresses, warm baths, lotions. These procedures will in the best possible way promote the resorption of edema and hematoma and help prevent unwanted consequences.

Moderate to severe leg bruises are recommended to be treated with physiotherapy sessions. The doctor may prescribe electrophoresis using various medicinal solutions, UHF and others. These procedures will promote the resorption of hematoma and edema without the formation of compactions, ossifications and salt deposits in their place.

Anti-inflammatory ointments and gels have proven themselves to be excellent after the acute period has ended. Today, pharmacies offer medications such as diclac, ibuprofen ointment or voltaren. In addition, lyoton gel, troxevasin or heparin gel perfectly reduce swelling and thin the blood at the site of hematoma formation. It is recommended to rub these products with light movements into the injured area 2-3 times a day.

Vodka and semi-alcohol compresses are considered an excellent and proven folk remedy for bruises. They moisten a piece of gauze and apply it to the site of the bruise 2 times a day, covering the top with polyethylene and a towel.

Surgical intervention in some cases is also justified. Its necessity arises with such damage:

  • , which is accompanied by their ruptures or separation from the place of attachment;
  • formation of intra-articular hemorrhage;
  • damage to nerve endings;
  • festering bruise, etc.

When ligaments are torn, surgery is used to stitch them together. A similar process is performed when nerve endings are damaged. As for intra-articular hemorrhage, using a gentle surgical method - arthroscopy - blood clots are removed from the joint cavity. In this case, various medications can be injected into the joint.

Festering bruises are also opened in a hospital setting, since the pathological bacteria multiplying in this case can cause bacterial and inflammatory infections.

It is strictly forbidden to put any weight on the injured leg. This can only be done extremely carefully and gradually after at least 3 days. It would be ideal to follow a gentle regime for about a week.

Possible consequences and prognosis

In injuries associated with a knee contusion, damage to the ligaments of the joint or tears of the meniscus may occur. Among other things, intra-articular hemorrhage is possible. Subsequently, all this can affect the development of deforming joint pathologies.

However, in almost all cases, if more serious injuries are ruled out in a timely manner and curative therapy, you can count on a favorable prognosis.

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