Bruises on legs

You fell off the bike, hit your calf on the coffee table, and suddenly saw a nasty blue bruise spreading over your leg. Why do bruises on legs arise, how to deal with them and how to avoid them?

What are the less common causes of bruises, and what do they show?

The terms describing the different types of bruising often refer not only to their appearance, but also to their causes. Petechia refers to 1 to 3 millimeters of blood clusters under the skin. They can look like a few small red dots on any part of the body (most often on their feet). Most often these are a few such spots, and they can help to understand that there is a serious health problem. Examples are heart valve infection (endocarditis) or impaired blood coagulation function due to malfunctioning elements (platelets).

Bruises around the navel can be formed as a result of bleeding in the abdominal cavity. A bruise behind the ear (a sign of trauma) may indicate that there are destructive changes in the skull.

Finally, bruises that arise in the complex, that is, several at once, and arise without trauma, can be a sign of various types of autoimmune diseases (a disease in which the body attacks its own blood vessels). Each of these conditions should be evaluated and analyzed by a physician.

Nature of bruises on legs

A bruise on the legs, like the entire body, occurs when tiny blood vessels are damaged or crushed as a result of a blow to the skin (stumbling upon something or from impact on soft tissues). A blow or a bruise arises from the leakage of blood from these vessels in damaged tissues, and also because of the body's reaction to trauma.

A bruise from a medical point of view is called a bruise. A bruise becomes a bruise when a leakage of blood from the upper layers of the skin occurs, fresh bruises are called bruises.

Why do bruises occur more often in some people than in others?

Injuries, as a result of which there are bruises, differently affect a person with age. The bruise happens more easily in old age. It can take quite a bit of effort to cause bruises in a small child, but even minor irregularities and scratches on the skin can cause extensive bruising in the elderly person. The blood vessels of older people become more fragile, as people age, and bruises can appear in the elderly even without injury.

Medications are to blame

The number of bruises can also depend on drugs that prevent blood clotting (and cause more bleeding in the skin or under the tissues). These drugs include many medications for arthritis, which are called non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (for example, ibuprofen [Advil, Nuprin] and naproxen [Aleve]) and prescription drugs such as aspirin. Warfarin (Coumadin).

They are often prescribed by doctors specifically to prevent blood clotting in patients who have been diagnosed with blood clots in the legs or on the way to the heart. Warfarin can cause severe bruising on the legs, especially if the drug level is too high. Cortisone drugs, such as prednisone, promote bruising on the legs by increasing the fragility of tiny blood vessels under the skin.

Patients with a hereditary blood clotting problem (such as hemophilia) or acquired coagulation disorders (for example, in patients with liver diseases, such as cirrhosis) may develop extensive bruising, bruising, unexplained and even life-threatening bleeding. What are the symptoms and signs of a bruise, and why does the bruise change color?

Bruises can be associated with the fragility of the vessels of the color-changing areas of the body. Bruises can change color over time, and you can tell by looking at bruises how many days it is. At first the bruise will have a reddish look, reflecting the color of the blood under the skin. After one or two days, the vessels undergo changes, and the bruise will look blue or purple. On the sixth day, the color of the bruise changes to green, and in a period of eight to nine days the bruise will turn yellow-brown. In general, the bruise will last for two to three weeks, after which the skin will return to normal appearance.

The purple color of the bruise is due to the bleeding under the skin of the blood, the bursting of the sugars. The place of this injury begins to surround the so-called protective cells - leukocytes, they destroy the blood, which is baked, due to this it is excreted from the body. When blood cells are destroyed, a substance of a greenish shade - biliverdin appears, and a yellow substance - bilirubin. That's why the bruise changes color to green and yellow.

What happens when the bruise does not pass?

In some cases, instead of descending, the area of the bruise on the leg becomes firm and may grow in size. This place on the leg can also continue to hurt. There are two main reasons for this. First, if a large amount of blood penetrates under the skin or into the muscles, instead of clearing this painful area from the blood, the body can fence off from it and cause what is called a hematoma. Hematoma is nothing more than a small puddle of blood that has spilled under the skin. Ice on the affected area - and soon the hematoma will pass.

But sometimes there is a situation where calcium in the body becomes so much that there are deposits in the area of trauma on the leg. This area becomes vulnerable and elastic, painful. This process is called heterotopic ossification or myositis (inflammation of the muscles around the bones). This condition is diagnosed by X-ray and requires a trip to the doctor.

How to treat bruises on legs?

There are several things that you can do to prevent or minimize bruising after an injury. First, try a cold compress. Put the ice in a plastic bag, wrap this bag in a towel (the application of ice directly to the skin can cause frostbite), and place it on the damaged area. Purchased ice packs are available to people, but ice from the freezer is an excellent substitute for this.

Ice is first applied to the damaged area and can be re-frozen and reused (but do not eat it!). A cold compress reduces blood flow to this area and therefore limits bleeding under the skin, reducing the size of the bruise.

Cold also reduces inflammation in the area of injury and edema limits. If possible, raise your injured leg above the level of your heart. The higher the heart in relation to the lower limbs, the more blood will flow into the leg area and increase bleeding and swelling.

Avoid taking medications that can cause bruising. If you have any questions about which medications may contribute to bruising, consult a doctor or pharmacist. Do not stop taking prescription drugs without first contacting your doctor. Finally, the pressure on the area of the bruise formation (by hands) can reduce bleeding.

People who take drugs that reduce blood clotting ("blood thinning"), or from a violation of its coagulability, should seek medical advice when there is a bruise on the leg, and especially elderly people or those who have suffered severe injuries are in need of medical advice.

Blows and bruises of the legs - useful facts

The bruise on the leg is medically called a bruise.

Bruising on the legs occurs when tiny blood vessels are damaged or destroyed.

Injuries, which cause a bruise on the leg, vary depending on the age and intake of certain medications.

Bruising on the legs can change the appearance over time.

Spontaneous bruises on the legs without trauma can indicate serious bleeding disorders.