A bruised leg

A leg bruise is an injury that is familiar to everyone without exception, regardless of age, social status and place of residence. Of course, children and athletes are most often subject to leg bruises, these are their "professional" risks. However, all other categories of inhabitants of the planet have at least once encountered a leg bruise. Only those who constantly occupy a horizontal position do not get injured, although you can also hit yourself lying on the couch. As a rule, it is impossible to damage the entire leg, and if this happens, the injury falls into a completely different category.

Knees are usually injured, shins and finger joints are often bruised. These are the most vulnerable parts of the lower extremities. You should be attentive to injuries, as a bruise may turn out to be a more threatening injury, such as a ligament rupture, bone fracture, or joint dislocation.

Leg contusions can be conditionally divided according to the location of the injury:

• A leg bruise in the hip area is characterized by sharp pain and swelling. The area of injury is painful to the touch, and a lump can often be palpated. A bruise in this area is often accompanied by limited knee function, and pain can radiate there. A severe hip bruise can develop into heterotopic ossification – bone tissue growth in an atypical place. Treatment is usually conservative, using a standard bandage and a cold compress. Then you can use local agents containing absorbable and anti-inflammatory substances – ointments with NSAIDs, horse chestnut extracts, and heparin. In case of severe pain, an anesthetic block may be prescribed.
• A leg bruise in the knee joint area is the most common both in everyday life and in other areas of life - sports, work, leisure. Despite the apparent harmlessness, a leg bruise in this area can be fraught with a rupture of the cartilaginous joint pad (meniscus), hemarthrosis (accumulation of blood in the joint cavity) and other equally complex consequences of injury. The knee joint is very complex in structure, so any of its parts can be injured - both the cruciate ligaments, and the patella, and its other components. To more accurately determine what is damaged, it is better to seek help from a doctor, especially in case of severe pain and immobility of the knee joint. The diagnosis is made on the basis of examination and collection of anamnesis, including an X-ray.

How to treat a bruised leg?

If the leg injury is minor, the following measures are indicated:

• Applying an elastic bandage and ensuring rest and immobility of the entire leg;
• The leg is raised, ensuring blood flow to the damaged area;
• A cold bandage and compress are required;
• It is possible to take analgesics orally (inside).

In more serious situations, a knee contusion is treated under the supervision of a surgeon.

• A bruise of the foot in the area of the phalanx of the finger most often occurs in the summer, when the foot is open and vulnerable. As a rule, soft tissues are injured, less often small tendons of the fingers. First aid is standard - rest, cold, bandage.
• A bruise of the leg in the ankle joint area is the most painful, since there are an extremely large number of nerve endings in the bone tissue, the periosteum is simply covered with them. If a hemorrhage (hematoma) is also added, the pain can become unbearable. It is important to differentiate such an injury from a crack or fracture. In the case of a simple bruise, an anesthetic ointment is applied, the entire leg is kept at rest, a fairly tight bandage is applied, and cold is a must.

There are several general mandatory rules that help treat a leg bruise in the first 24 hours after the injury:

• Rubbing and applying warming ointments and gels are strictly prohibited.
• Mobility is excluded, at least during the first 24 hours;
• Punctures of edema are unacceptable, even if they develop rapidly and fluid accumulates under the skin;
• You should not tightly compress the injured area, as the already impaired blood circulation will be impossible in this case.

Self-diagnostics in the form of axial loads, tapping, squatting, etc. are excluded.

Bruised leg: what can you do yourself?

• Ensure rest and complete immobility of the injured leg;
• Apply a constricting (not tight) fixing bandage using elastic material;
• Apply any cold you have on hand on top of the bandage - ice, a bottle of very cold water, or, in extreme cases, a wet, cold compress will do. The cold pad must be changed frequently so that it does not turn into a heat pad;
• In case of severe pain, you can take a mild analgesic once. Then you should call a doctor or seek help yourself. You should not take a strong painkiller, since the overall clinical picture may be unclear due to the absence of characteristic pain.
• If the leg injury does not pose a threat, the next day the cold is cancelled and heat is applied - dry bandages, application of warming, absorbable ointments, products with anti-inflammatory substances. Compresses from alcohol-containing solutions are also effective (they should not be kept for more than 2 hours to avoid skin burns).

A bruised leg, despite its widespread occurrence, is not a scratch that should not be ignored. The symptoms of a bruise may be blurred and hide more serious damage. Therefore, if self-treatment does not give dynamic results within three days, you should seek help from a specialist - a surgeon, orthopedist.