General signs of bruise. Providing primary care for bruises and hematomas at home - an algorithm of actions and treatment. How is the diagnosis made?

A hematoma on the leg after a bruise, fall, collision or blow is a common injury in sports, at work and even in everyday life. In most cases, a bruise caused by mechanical damage to tissue does not pose a serious health hazard and quickly goes away on its own. But this doesn't always happen. Sometimes these “blue” lumps cause significant discomfort to a person - they hurt, swell and interfere with movements.

In medical terms, a hematoma is a limited accumulation of blood due to vascular subcutaneous damage, formed under the influence of a traumatic factor. However, if hematomas on the legs appear systemically and without obvious reasons, this may indicate the presence of some kind of disease (hemophilia, atherosclerosis, etc.).

Sometimes coagulated blood at the site of a bruise causes various negative consequences, which can only be eliminated surgically.

Shulepin Ivan Vladimirovich, traumatologist-orthopedist, highest qualification category

Total work experience over 25 years. In 1994 he graduated from the Moscow Institute of Medical and Social Rehabilitation, in 1997 he completed a residency in the specialty “Traumatology and Orthopedics” at the Central Research Institute of Traumatology and Orthopedics named after. N.N. Prifova.

The risk of getting hematomas increases during sports, outdoor activities and in everyday life in the event of a collision, fall or impact with a heavy object.

Hematomas after a bruise on the legs are divided into the following types:

1. Subcutaneous. Such injuries are characterized by rupture of capillaries; outwardly they look like an ordinary bruise. In most cases, they are recorded in the lower leg and thigh area. Symptoms of injury: pain in the area of ​​the bruise, tissue swelling, redness and bluishness of the skin. After a couple of days, the bruise turns green, turns yellow, and then disappears.
2. Soft tissue hematoma (internal). Hematoma affects muscle fibers. When blood vessels are damaged, blood penetrates into the soft tissues, and when the affected area is felt, a lump is felt. At the site of the formation of an extensive hematoma, severe pain and pulsation are felt. Movement of the injured limb may be difficult. The color of the hematoma ranges from bright red to purple.
3. Intra-articular. When a knee is bruised, hemorrhage occurs in the joint cavity (hemarthrosis occurs). It swells, becomes hot to the touch and is very painful. Movement of the injured leg brings unbearable pain caused by stretching of the joint capsule.

Fact! Sometimes, after receiving a hematoma, the victim’s body temperature rises.

Depending on the location of the bruise, hematomas are distinguished on the thigh, toes, foot, ankle, etc.

First aid for injury

First aid provided in the first minutes after a bruise plays a very important role. Correct actions immediately after injury help reduce pain and stop hemorrhage, preventing further growth of the hematoma. In this case, we are not talking about small bruises that resolve on their own. Emergency care is necessary for extensive hematomas on the leg after severe bruises.

What should you do after a bruise appears on your leg?

1. First - determine the degree of injury, make sure there is no fracture.
2. Next step - providing peace to the victim and injured limb. If the bruise occurs on the fingers, then doctors recommend reducing the load on the sore leg and taking off your shoes. If the pain is severe, you should immediately consult a traumatologist who can diagnose the severity of the injury.
3. If the bruise affects the knee area, then you need to elevate the leg(place a pillow or cushion under it). Under no circumstances should you bend your knee.
4. For 15-20 minutes to the bruised area apply cold(ice pack, cold bottle, etc.), the procedure is repeated every hour. It is contraindicated to steam the hematoma in the first two to three days, or apply heat to the site of its formation.

Interesting! Cold blocks further bleeding, helps reduce tissue swelling and constrict blood vessels.

1. If after a bruise there is an open wound on the leg, it must be treated with an antiseptic, apply a loose, comfortable bandage, seek help from a traumatologist or surgeon. The doctor diagnoses the severity of the injury and, if necessary, prescribes an X-ray examination.

Treatment of hematoma on the leg after a bruise

Small hematomas are treated conservatively in most cases. In case of severe bruises that lead to the formation of extensive internal hematomas, surgical intervention may be necessary - surgery to remove accumulated fluid, surgical restoration of blood vessels, etc.

Conservative treatment

Hematomas of mild and moderate severity are treated with medications that improve blood circulation, promote the resorption of bruises, and relieve pain and swelling: gel Lyoton, Dolobene, Trombless, “Rescuer”, Troxevasin, heparin ointment, Ketonal, Fastum-gel, “Dikul” and etc.

Sometimes physiotherapy may be required to speed up the regeneration process: electrophoresis, magnetic therapy and etc.

The victim is prescribed analgesics and vitamins. If necessary, three days after the injury, the leg is additionally lubricated with warming ointments and compresses are made. To relieve the limb, fixing bandages are used when walking.

Interesting! Ascorbic acid strengthens the walls of blood vessels and reduces capillary fragility.

Surgical methods of treatment

Methods of surgical treatment:

• stopping bleeding through surgery;
• puncture - “suction” of the contents of the hematoma with a syringe;
• surgical restoration of the anatomical integrity of a tendon or muscle;
• osteosynthesis and suture of the patella for hemarthrosis, drainage, etc.

The postoperative period requires long-term restoration of limb function. In case of hemarthrosis, a plaster splint is applied to immobilize the joint.

Hematomas of mild to moderate severity disappear after a few days. Full recovery from surgery may take up to several weeks or months.

Hematoma without an external cause

Sometimes hematomas on the legs are formed due to the development of certain diseases and pathological conditions:

1. Varicose veins
2. Inflammatory vascular diseases.
3. Pathological fragility of blood vessels.
4. Diabetes.
5. Hemophilia and other bleeding disorders.

Hematomas can also appear after taking certain medications, during the period after phlebectomy, etc.

Possible complications

Even a small and seemingly harmless bruise, if treated incorrectly, can lead to serious consequences, for example, suppuration of the bruise. Internal hematomas are sometimes accompanied by infection and purulent inflammation. When the damaged skin peels off at the site of the bruise, traumatic lumps (cysts), which can only be removed through surgery. If bed rest is violated after surgical treatment, it is possible re-accumulation of blood in the joint(hemarthrosis). Severe injuries and extensive bruising can lead to tissue necrosis.

Under no circumstances should hematomas, especially large ones, be left without the attention of doctors.

Of course, accidental injury cannot be prevented in advance, but its consequences can be minimized. To strengthen blood vessels, muscles and bones, you need to eat a balanced diet, lead a healthy lifestyle and exercise - all this together will help prevent the development of serious complications after bruises.

What to do if you didn’t hit yourself anywhere, but bruises appear on your skin?

Bruises are one of the most common types of injuries that every person has probably received. Moreover, such an injury can be just an external manifestation of a mechanical impact that does not pose any threat to human life, while with severe bruises serious complications can develop.

How are bruises differentiated?

Depending on the nature of the damage, soft tissue contusion is conventionally divided according to degrees of intensity. Unfortunately, it is not possible to independently diagnose yourself and determine the severity of the damage. This can only be done by a medical professional based on the international scale:

Grade 1 is usually characterized by minor, in some cases even imperceptible, damage to the skin, on which cuts or abrasions often appear. An injury of this kind does not require the use of a special remedy for bruises or the intervention of medical workers and goes away on its own within a few days.

2nd degree implies a fairly severe bruise, as a result of which muscle tissue ruptures. Swelling appears on the skin, which often turns into a hematoma. A patient who has received a 2nd degree bruise usually complains of severe pain, which negatively affects general well-being.

Grade 3 characterizes not only damage to the skin, but also all sorts of complications associated with the normal functioning of muscles and tendons. In some cases, such an injury implies the presence of a dislocation and even a fracture. Self-treatment of bruises is strictly prohibited here! Especially when it comes to damage to the coccyx, joints and head.

Grade 4 are high-risk injuries that completely disrupt the normal functioning of vital systems. The affected areas may lose sensitivity and cause significant discomfort to the victim! In addition, bruises of this kind can pose a direct threat to human life.

Any injury is an interference with the normal functioning of the body. Even if outwardly the injury does not cause serious concern, you should not neglect consulting a doctor and using the medicine prescribed by him! Perhaps it is precisely this kind of excessive fear that can save a person’s life in one moment!

First aid for bruises

At first glance, it seems that the actions aimed at providing first aid to a person who has received a bruise are quite simple and do not require special training. This is partly true, but before helping the victim, it is important to understand what a bruise is and develop a help algorithm in your head.

When helping a person who has been injured, it is necessary to examine the limbs and check their functions. If functionality is not impaired, cold should be applied to the damaged area. This procedure does not immediately cure the bruise, but it helps to quickly stop internal hemorrhage.

In no case should you give painkillers to the victim yourself, especially if his reaction to them is not known. However, in those rare cases when it is reliably known that the damage did not affect the internal organs, and the pain represents great discomfort for the person, you can give him an anesthetic, but in small quantities.

If there is a bruise to the back of the head, head or chest, the patient should be immediately immobilized. If the integrity of the skin is not compromised or is only slightly compromised, you should also apply cold ice and urgently call an ambulance. Of course, the victim can be taken to a medical facility on his own, but in this case a number of complications may arise that can be much more dangerous than the bruise itself.

When providing first aid for soft tissue bruises, a person should under no circumstances give in to panic. All actions should be carried out in a calm and measured rhythm, not forgetting to talk to the victim. Regardless of how serious the situation is, he should be encouraged and encouraged that the resulting bruise should definitely be treated.

The ambulance arriving at the scene of the accident should personally hand over the patient, and, if possible, give them a sheet with the specified data:

• when damage is received;
• what are the causes of bruises;
• what first aid measures have been taken.

And it is possible that in the future this data will be able to save the victim’s life. After all, the external symptoms of a bruise and its clinical picture can differ significantly from each other, and a person who feels satisfactorily can receive extremely serious damage.

Why are bruises dangerous?

In the vast majority of cases, the signs of a bruise begin to subside within the first few days after the injury and subsequently do not remind of themselves in any way.

At the same time, there are cases when the consequences of a bruise result in the development of other, more serious diseases. In particular, this is typical for head injuries.

The thing is that the skull is a closed space in which the hematoma does not resolve, but only leads to compression of vital structures.

The consequence of this is numerous neurological disorders, constant headache, nausea and vomiting, which can subsequently lead to death.

And in order for the consequences of bruises, the treatment of which will have to take more than one week, to bypass a person, injuries to the cerebral cortex should be taken very seriously! And, if there are good reasons for this, decide to remove the hematoma surgically, since no other treatment has yet been invented for a bruise of such complexity.

Another, quite rare, but existing complication after a bruise is calcification of the hematoma. In this case, after the hematoma, a small compaction remains, which causes great discomfort in the person, especially if it forms at the site of joint bruises. In the future, this compaction can even develop into a malignant tumor. It is usually removed surgically or eliminated through laser therapy. In any case, it is highly undesirable to leave this problem unattended.

Today there are no universal remedies for bruises. For each person, the optimal option is selected individually. The most important thing is not to neglect your own health and be sure to treat any injury, even the most minor one. After all, people who treat even minor things rarely encounter complications.

What happens when there is a bruise? What are the symptoms and consequences of bruises? What is the most effective way to treat bruises?

Injury- this is closed damage to tissues and organs without significant disruption of their structure. This is the most common type of injury. TO bruises can lead, for example, to a fall during icy conditions, or a strong blow if it is caused by a blunt object and there is no significant damage to the skin. The integrity of the upper layers of the skin is not damaged during a bruise, but a swelling and hematoma (bruise) quickly appear at the site of the impact, and pain is felt.

Distinguish soft tissue bruises, periosteum, joints, bruises neck, back, spine, chest, head. When a joint (for example, a knee) is bruised, its volume increases several hours after the injury, function is impaired, and pain intensifies (especially when moving). In this case, the leg is slightly bent, its extension is sharply painful. Difference joint bruise from dislocation is to maintain movements in it.

At bruises On the head, there may be only a slight swelling (“bump”), which does not cause much trouble. However, if the injury was accompanied by loss of consciousness, weakness, nausea, vomiting, etc., then this may be a sign of a more serious injury - a concussion or even brain contusion.

At bruises neck, in addition to damage to soft tissues, blood flow in the vessels passing here may be secondarily disrupted, which disrupts the blood supply to the brain.

With bruises of the back (spine), the blood circulation of the spinal cord may be impaired (there is a decrease in sensitivity in the limbs, muscle function, etc.).

At bruises In the chest, only local changes in the superficial soft tissues may be noted, but with a strong blow, for example, as a result of a fall, breathing may be impaired, and with impacts to the heart area it may stop. Abdominal bruise is sometimes accompanied by damage to internal organs (for example, rupture of the liver, spleen, accompanied by internal bleeding).

What happens when you get hurt

At bruise Damage occurs to the skin, subcutaneous fat and muscles, and the blood vessels and nerves passing through them may also be damaged. Blood leaks from injured vessels. At soft tissue bruises at the site of damage, hemorrhage increases and a more or less pronounced swelling forms. Blood gradually permeates the tissues and can accumulate (hematoma) or flow into nearby cavities, such as a joint (hemarthrosis).

Bleeding from small vessels stops spontaneously in about 5-10 minutes. Of the large ones, it can last more than a day. The color of the bruise depends on the age of the injury: a fresh one has a purple-bluish color, after 3-4 days it becomes blue-yellow, and on the 5-6th day it turns yellow. On the spot bruise Swelling - edema - always appears, pain occurs, which goes away over time, but unpleasant sensations when moving or palpating persist for a long time. With strong bruises disruption of the functioning of nearby organs is possible.

As a result bruise shins in places where the skin and subcutaneous tissue are adjacent to the bone, necrosis of the skin and its subsequent rejection are possible. When hitting bones that are poorly protected by soft tissues, not only very painful bruises periosteum with its detachment, but also bone damage (cracks and fractures). A blow in an oblique direction relative to the surface of the skin can cause its detachment along with subcutaneous tissue, followed by filling of the resulting cavity with lymph and blood.

Bruises: symptoms and consequences. Why is a bruise dangerous?

Main symptoms bruise are: pain in the damaged area, hemorrhages as a result of rupture of blood vessels, the formation of hematoma and edema. Very severe pain after a bruise may mean that the bones are damaged. Pain, first symptom bruise, appears immediately at the time of injury and can be significant. Then the pain decreases somewhat or is moderate in nature, and 1-3 hours after the injury it resumes or significantly intensifies. A change in the nature of pain and an increase in their intensity are caused by increased traumatic swelling, hemorrhage or an increase in hematoma.

At bruise joint movements in the joints are initially preserved, they become impossible as hemorrhage and swelling increase, especially with hemarthrosis. This bruises differ from fractures and dislocations, in which active and passive movements become impossible immediately after the injury.

The pain is especially severe when bruise periosteum, for example, with a bruise on the anterior surface of the leg or the ulnar nerve. Due to severe pain, pain shock may occur. Hemorrhages at the site of a bruise can be pinpoint, both in the skin and subcutaneous tissue, in the form of bruises, as well as in the form of significant accumulations of blood in the underlying tissues (hematomas). Bleeding that continues deep into the tissue often leads to additional trauma to adjacent tissues as a result of their compression, which is accompanied by a gradual increase in pain and dysfunction.

The time of bruising depends on the depth of the hemorrhage. At bruise skin and subcutaneous tissue, it appears immediately, in the first minutes or hours. When a muscle or periosteum is bruised, bruises appear on the 2-3rd day and sometimes far from the site of the bruise. The appearance of late bruising, especially away from the site bruise, is a serious symptom and requires additional examination, for example, x-ray, to exclude a fracture or crack of the bone. The color of the bruise undergoes certain changes due to the breakdown of hemoglobin. A fresh bruise is red, then it turns purple, turns blue, after 5-6 days it turns green and then yellow. The color of the bruise can indicate how long ago the injury was.

Treatment of bruises

First aid for bruise

Very important in the first hours after bruise understand whether the bones, joints and internal organs are damaged, whether there are any fractures, so it is better to consult a traumatologist. Immediately after an injury, it is recommended to apply a pressure bandage to the site of the bruise and create rest; for example, if a hand is bruised, its rest can be ensured with the help of a scarf bandage. If in place bruise there are abrasions or scratches, you must first use disinfectants. If the leg is bruised, it is given an elevated position, a gentle load regime is observed for several days, and then, as the pain and swelling decrease, it is gradually expanded. Under no circumstances should you steam your leg or arm - this may aggravate the injury. On the first day, bruises are treated exclusively with cold; its effect causes vasoconstriction, which stops bleeding, and in addition, has an analgesic effect.

Treatment of bruises in the acute period

After 24 hours, refrigeration is no longer necessary. Then you need to use another tactic - warming up: warm baths, compresses, lotions help reduce swelling and resolve the hematoma. At this stage of treatment bruises NANOPLAST forte, a therapeutic pain-relieving anti-inflammatory patch, can be used very effectively.

Thanks to its unique properties, the NANOPLAST forte medical plaster not only has an analgesic effect, but also improves blood circulation in the injured area and accelerates the resorption of hematomas. The course of treatment usually ranges from 3 to 9 days.

Treatment of bruises: rehabilitation therapy for bruises

You can't rub it yourself bruised place - this can lead to a serious complication - thrombophlebitis (blockage of a vein with a blood clot). If swelling and bruising do not disappear for a long time, you should consult a doctor. In case of moderate and severe bruises A course of physiotherapy will be recommended using UHF devices, a magnet, electrophoresis with medicinal solutions.

Bruises are considered the most common type of injury that can be sustained while doing work, playing sports or during outdoor activities.

A bruise is damage to soft tissues and organs, without a significant violation of the integrity of the skin, due to a blow with a blunt object or a fall. The tissues that are most often bruised are those that are located superficially - the skin, subcutaneous layer and muscles. With a blunt impact, soft tissues are damaged, which are pressed against the bones at the moment of impact.

With a sharp impact (for example, from an explosion), in addition to local wounds, symptoms of hydrodynamic impact appear, which is manifested by damage to soft tissues far from the point of application of force.

Symptoms

Depending on which part of the body is affected, symptoms will vary. But the main signs are as follows:

• Severe pain in the place where the blow fell;
• Noticeable hemorrhage under the skin due to rupture of subcutaneous vessels;
• Hematoma;
• Severe soft tissue swelling.

Bruises are divided depending on the severity, there are mild, moderate and severe. At the same time, a hematoma does not at all indicate the severity of the bruise. For example, in older people, as well as those who have fragile blood vessels, even a minor blow leads to the formation of a large bruise. But a head blow most often occurs without a hematoma at all, only a small bump appears, and after a while all the symptoms of a concussion appear.

For any bruises, it is advisable to see a doctor who can determine the degree of damage to organs located near the site of the impact, or other temporarily hidden consequences. If a blow to the face or body is accompanied by the formation of air-filled areas under the skin, this indicates damage to the nasal septum or lungs. It is impossible to cope with such a complication at home.

Sometimes hematomas do not occur where the blow was. For example, when the base of the skull is hit, which is a rather serious and dangerous case, bruises appear under the eyes.

In case of any injury, it is very important to immediately provide first aid to the victim. In some cases, it is this kind of help that helps avoid complications.

Hands

When you hit your hand, immediately apply a cold compress to the damaged area or apply a cold product from the refrigerator. This could be milk, yogurt or butter. When applying ice to the bruised site, first wrap it in cotton cloth.

After this, you need to apply a tight, fixing bandage to your hand. To do this, you can use a regular bandage or take an elastic bandage. It is very important to ensure maximum immobility of the struck hand; to do this, it can be secured to the neck with a scarf or scarf.

Finger

If you bruise your fingers, you need to take ice cubes and massage the damaged area with them for 15 minutes, every hour. The procedure is repeated for 3 hours. After the pain subsides, you can massage the injured finger every 2 hours for 15 minutes.

Knee joint

If the blow fell on the knee, then after the injury the person must be laid down so that the injured limb is on a hill; for this, a pillow is placed under it. A fixing bandage is applied to the knee joint and ice is periodically applied.

Heads

If after an injury a person loses consciousness or becomes very dizzy, you should urgently call an ambulance. Before the doctors arrive, they provide the following assistance:

• The patient is put to bed and provided with complete rest;
• Ice wrapped in a cotton napkin or other cold is applied to the bruised area;
• Constantly monitor the victim.

A person with a head injury should not be irritated by anything; it is advisable to close the curtains on the windows.

Necks

Immediately after the injury, the person is put to bed and provided with complete rest. Ice is applied to the site of the bruise, but it must be taken into account that the cold cannot be left on the damaged area for more than 15 minutes. When the pain subsides, crushed plantain or cabbage leaves can be applied to the site of the bruise, which will help relieve swelling.

Backs

If the back bruise is not too severe, then you can apply a compress with white beans to the damaged area. In addition, as first aid, you can anoint the bruised area with Voltaren or other similar drugs. Such ointments have anti-inflammatory, analgesic and anti-edematous effects.

Chest

In case of chest contusion, the patient is provided with complete rest on the first day. Cold is applied to the damaged area of ​​the body and pharmaceutical preparations are used that help relieve swelling and inflammation.

Eye

In case of injury, the eye should be immediately instilled with sodium sulfacyl. These eye drops will relieve puffiness, pain and redness. Applying cold to the eyes is not recommended, as this may worsen the patient's condition.

Pharmacy drugs

Treatment of any bruises should be comprehensive; it is advisable to use medications and traditional medicine recipes. There are several ointments that can help with bruises.

1. 
   Troxevasin. This ointment helps relieve swelling and reduce pain. Troxevasin strengthens the walls of capillaries and has a pronounced anti-inflammatory effect. It is applied to the bruised area twice a day, gently rubbing until completely absorbed into the skin. Troxevasin can only be applied to intact skin.
2. 
   Dolobene. It has a pronounced anti-inflammatory and analgesic effect. The heparin contained in the ointment prevents thrombus formation, thereby reducing the risk of hematomas. In case of already severe hemorrhages, it promotes rapid dissolution of the blood clot and improves blood flow. Apply to the damaged area up to 4 times a day, while gently massaging.
3. 
   Badyaga. This natural remedy can effectively combat the symptoms of bruises. Badyaga quickly relieves inflammation, swelling and reduces pain. Using preparations with badyaga, you can quickly get rid of bruises.
   For treatment, you can also use badyaga powder, which is pre-diluted with warm water, or Badyaga-Forte gel. The powdered mixture is applied as a compress for several hours, and the gel is gently rubbed into the bruise.
4. 
   Voltaren. This drug is classified as a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug. It relieves swelling well and eliminates pain. The drug is applied to the damaged area of ​​the body 2 times a day, preferably in the morning and evening. Before using this drug, you need to study a number of contraindications.
5. 
   Indovazin. The active substance of this ointment is indomethacin. This substance has anti-inflammatory, analgesic and anti-edematous effects. When using Indovazin, the redness of the bruise site decreases, the walls of blood vessels are strengthened, and blood microcirculation improves. The ointment is applied 3 times a day to the site of a bruise or hematoma in an amount of 2 cm.

Folk recipes

Traditional healers have many time-tested recipes that can quickly get rid of the symptoms of bruises.

Other treatments

To treat extensive bruises, physiotherapeutic procedures can be prescribed, which are aimed at relieving pain, reducing inflammation and eliminating swelling. The following physiotherapy procedures are mainly prescribed:

• To reduce pain - cryotherapy at the site of injury, electrophoresis using analgesics, SUV irradiation and diadynamic therapy;
• To reduce inflammation - electrophoresis, UHF, microwave and magnetic therapy;
• To improve the patency of blood vessels - galvanization, electrophoresis, infrared irradiation and a steam heating pad.

Physiotherapy is prescribed by the attending physician, who also determines the duration of such therapy.

How to reduce pain

There are many reliable methods that will help quickly relieve pain from a bruise.

• Cold is applied to the damaged area; if a limb is injured, it can be placed under a stream of cold water;
• I gently massage the bruised area using ointments that prevent swelling and hematomas;
• A pressure bandage is applied to the site of the injury. If it is a hand, then it is hung on a scarf, which is tied around the neck; if it is a leg, then it is placed above the level of the body on a pillow;
• If there is a suspicion that internal organs have been damaged, then the person must be ensured complete immobility; he can only be moved on a stretcher.

We offer a video that explains what a bruise is and how to properly provide first aid.

Bruises are not such trivial injuries as they might seem at first glance. Sometimes joints, muscles and tendons are damaged due to falls and impacts, and important internal organs may also be damaged. It is important to see a doctor in time; only a qualified physician will be able to objectively assess the full extent of the damage.

A bruise is an injury to organs and tissues without damaging the integrity of the skin at the site of impact, and without significant disruption of the structure, in contrast to a wound, in which the anatomical structure of the tissue is disrupted. A bruise is the most common type of injury of all. The most common causes of injury are injury from a blunt object or a fall.

After a bruise, damage occurs to superficial tissues: skin, subcutaneous tissue, blood capillaries. Damage to the capillaries explains the presence of a hematoma (subcutaneous hemorrhage), which almost always accompanies a bruise. In addition to superficial tissues, deeper tissues, muscles and periosteum, can also suffer. Soft tissues are especially vulnerable to this type of injury, since in addition to the direct impact in the impact zone, they are sharply pressed against hard bones, which turns out to be an additional traumatic factor.

Symptoms of bruise

A well-known symptom of a bruise is pain. With mild bruises, this symptom is not intense and goes away quickly; severe bruises can cause long-term and very significant pain. As already mentioned, almost always such injuries, with the exception of very mild ones, are accompanied by the appearance of a hematoma (bruise). Immediately after a bruise, the hematoma has a dark red or purple tint, later becomes blue or blue-black (if the subcutaneous hemorrhage was significant), then green, and before disappearing - yellow.

After a bruise, the injured tissue increases in size as traumatic swelling occurs. Symptoms of a bruise largely depend on the location of the injury. Thus, a symptom of a joint bruise can be a limitation of its mobility due to swelling and pain; in fact, such an injury can cause disruption of the activity of any organ located at the site of impact or near it.

Consequences of bruises

The consequences of bruises also depend on which part of the body was bruised, as well as on the force of the impact. The most significant are the following:

• Head contusion, since it can cause a more serious injury - a brain contusion, which directly threatens the functioning of the entire body;
• A neck bruise sometimes leads to impaired blood circulation in large vessels passing there, which can, in turn, cause a global disruption of blood supply, including cerebral hypoxia;
• The consequences of a spinal bruise can be very severe, including impairment of motor activity and sensitivity of the limbs due to compression of the spinal cord tissue. The motor or sensory innervation of any organ may also be impaired, depending on which area the injured part of the spinal cord is responsible for;
• A severe contusion of the chest is very dangerous, since a reflex disturbance of cardiac activity can occur; this happens when there is a blow to the reflexogenic zone. Sometimes this ends in death, the so-called reflex death occurs;
• The consequences of a bruise in the abdomen can also be the most serious - severe blunt trauma to the abdomen can cause rupture of internal organs with profuse bleeding, which is a life-threatening condition, firstly, due to blood loss, and secondly, due to peritonitis, which arises from - for irritation of the peritoneum, effusion of blood and its decay products.

First aid for bruises

It is very important to have first aid skills for bruises due to their high prevalence.

To treat a mild bruise, in which the acute pain goes away quickly and the hematoma is not too large and deep, it is enough to apply cold to the injured area. This could be a towel soaked in cold water, an ice pack, or a hermetically sealed container from the refrigerator, such as a water bottle. Cold causes the blood vessels to contract, which stops bleeding faster and subsequently causes less traumatic swelling.

If a limb is severely bruised, it must be immobilized (deprived of the ability to move), as with a fracture. Immobilization of the limb will be required until a medical examination is performed, and sometimes until an x-ray is taken.

Assistance for significant bruises should be provided in a hospital or emergency room. The fact is that at first glance it is not always possible to adequately assess the consequences of a bruise; sometimes only a doctor can determine this. Symptoms of bruises that require immediate medical attention are as follows:

• Increasing pallor of the skin, the appearance of weakness, loss of consciousness;
• Pain that does not decrease, but on the contrary, becomes more and more intense;
• Restricted mobility, sharp pain when trying to move;
• Any deterioration in general condition that is associated with a bruise.

Attention! Medication for bruises should be provided only as prescribed by a doctor, especially when taking painkillers. If the pain is so intense that an analgesic is required, then special diagnostics are necessary, as internal organs or bones may be seriously damaged. An anesthetic taken before a medical examination will smooth out the clinical picture and will not allow the doctor to adequately assess the depth of the lesion.

Treatment tactics for bruises

Treatment for a bruise depends on the extent of the damage. If the patient has undergone an examination, during which it turns out that no serious consequences of the bruise have been detected, the patient is given an anesthetic, recommended to apply cold, and a gentle regime is prescribed for the bruised area. Hot bathing and other procedures involving heating are not recommended, as heating may promote resumption of bleeding. In this case, no specialized treatment of the bruise is required.

Treatment of bruises to the head, neck, back, abdomen and chest may require hospitalization and surgery, during which ruptured organs or soft tissues are sutured and blood clots are removed. Before the operation, anti-shock therapy is carried out, aimed at maintaining the function of vital organs. In the future, treatment of the bruise continues in the form of drug therapy: drugs that support homeostasis, anti-inflammatory drugs, pain relievers.

At the recovery stage, treatment of a bruise is carried out using physiotherapy, therapeutic exercises, and massage.