Contusion: symptoms

A bruise has various symptoms, but it is necessary to recognize and differentiate them in order not to miss extensive hematomas, stagnant hemorrhages and more serious damage to soft tissues. A bruise is in vain considered a minor injury that can be missed and left without attention.

Indeed, many bruises are accompanied by weak transient pain, bruises, which begin to disappear without a trace after about ten days. However, the consequences of a bruise can be more serious than they seem at first glance. These include soft tissue ruptures, damage to body organs, various hidden fractures and cracks in the bone system, and concussion.

Typical symptoms of a simple bruise are:

• When struck, there is a sharp pain that gradually subsides;
• Literally in a matter of minutes the site of the injury begins to swell and become edematous;
• A bruise sometimes does not appear immediately, it all depends on the force of the blow, but typical bruises are always accompanied by small hemorrhages in the subcutaneous tissue;
• On the second or third day, a hematoma may appear - an accumulation of blood from damaged capillaries and vessels under the skin.

More specific signs of a bruise, differentiated by body parts:

• Finger trauma, finger bruise. Usually the most vulnerable parts of the fingers are the phalanges and fingertips. If the fingertip is damaged, a hematoma develops under the nail within an hour, since this is the area where many tiny blood vessels are located. The hematoma can be so extensive that it can lift the nail plate. Finger bruises are accompanied by quite severe pain. After a few weeks, the tissue under the nail dies, the nail comes off and a new nail plate gradually grows in its place.
• A bruise of the sternum is accompanied not only by severe pain, but also by a feeling of lack of air. The greatest danger is posed by trauma to the middle of the chest, since such damage can cause a fracture of the rib bone and even hemorrhage into the pleural area. If the ribs are broken, the pain becomes severe with the slightest movement and turns, so it is possible to carry out a primary differentiation between a simple bruise and a fracture. A bruise of the chest can provoke damage to the lung - pleural hemorrhage. Hemopneumothorax is considered especially dangerous, which manifests itself in severe pain when inhaling and exhaling, breathing in principle becomes very difficult. No less dangerous a bruise can be a strong blow, for example, in an accident, which damages the heart muscles. A bruise of this type often leads to a traumatic form of myocardial infarction. Unlike a typical infarction, it develops more rapidly, starting with pain in the heart and ending in collapse. An X-ray and an electrocardiogram provide specifics.
• Damage to the coccyx. A bruise has symptoms similar to a fracture of this area, they are quite difficult to distinguish. Any injury to the lower spine is accompanied by severe pain, sometimes unbearable. The periosteum, which contains many nerve receptors, is subject to bruising. The fracture can be hidden, manifested by rare pain when squatting, bending. A simple bruise of the coccyx goes away within two weeks, without causing recurrent pain in the future.
• A knee contusion is accompanied by pain, swelling, and immobility. The most dangerous symptom of a contusion of this part is hemarthrosis (bleeding into the joint cavity). Also, a contusion of the knee joint is fraught with damage to the meniscus and microcracks in nearby bones. According to symptoms, this is the most pronounced, obvious type of injury, which suggests seeking medical help.
• A bruised abdomen is accompanied by dull pain and a feeling of shortness of breath, especially when the diaphragm is injured. The most severe consequences of such bruises can be damage to the spleen, liver, kidneys and even stomach. Dangerous symptoms can be hematomas that last for two to three weeks, which eventually develop into cysts filled with blood.
• A head contusion is the most serious injury, threatening not only a concussion, but also a fracture of the skull bones. Also, such a contusion is often accompanied by an intracerebral or external hematoma, which is visible to the naked eye. The main symptoms of a head contusion, in addition to bruises, which are not the main signs of a concussion, are dizziness, nausea, sensory disturbances, vomiting. This is a direct indication of a serious concussion, which requires medical attention. A contusion accompanied by a blue tint to the skin of the face, characteristic bruises in the form of glasses (glasses syndrome), requires not just help, but an emergency call, since such symptoms indicate a possible fracture of the base of the skull bone.

Contusion symptoms are variable, depending on the force of the blow, the type of blow, the degree of its severity and the extent of the area of damage. Hematomas accompanying contusions are also differentiated.

They can be infected in cases of damage to the skin and the addition of an infection, they can be clotted when blood clots remain under the skin for a long time without dissolving, and the hematoma can also be purulent, requiring a local minor operation - an opening.

Any bruise, as well as its manifestations, require certain attention, since an injury that seems minor may actually be more dangerous.

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