How do you treat a contusion?

How to treat a bruise? What consequences can a fall or a blow lead to? Every person has asked themselves such questions at least several times in their life. In order to understand how best to treat a bruise, you should first understand what happens in the body after bruises, what signs are most characteristic, what are the most common consequences.

A bruise is considered one of the most frequent and widespread injuries. If we talk about differentiation, then medical reference books indicate that a bruise is a fairly significant damage to tissues (mostly soft) or organs without significant disruption of their structure. Bruises are part of everyday life and are often caused by both a fall on ice and a light or stronger blow (if after the blow there are no severe damages, abrasions and wounds on the skin, but bruises, swellings are visible and there are painful sensations, then such injuries can be considered bruises).

There are soft tissue contusions, cervical or back contusions, spinal contusions, coccyx or chest contusions, neck, head or periosteum contusions. For example, when a person hits a knee or elbow joint, after a few hours the volume increases several times and the pain increases. In this case, the leg remains in a semi-bent position, extension and flexion become very painful, but possible. A knee contusion differs from a more dangerous dislocation in that the joint, despite the pain, remains mobile.

How to treat a bruise yourself?

The main rule of treatment is rest and cold. If the limbs are injured - arms or legs, it is advisable to at least for a short period of time to provide them with rest and limit their movements. Then cold is mandatory, this can be a cold compress with ice, or a cloth soaked in cold water. Cold compresses should be changed as they warm up and such procedures should be done for at least a day. It is also necessary to apply a sufficiently tight bandage to the site of the blow to localize swelling and edema. Too tight a bandage is inappropriate and even unacceptable, as it can hinder microcirculation, which is already impaired as a result of the injury. Damage accompanied by small scratches and wounds should be treated with an antiseptic before applying a bandage. After 24 hours, it is necessary to apply special ointments that will help to dissolve the hematoma, improve microcirculation, and neutralize swelling. It is also possible to apply anti-inflammatory agents, especially in the case of a blow to the bones of the arms or legs.

How to treat a bruise with ointments?

Ointments containing heparin, diclofenac, indomethacin, comfrey, essential oils, and menthol have proven themselves well as local therapy. It should be noted that the above-mentioned ointments should not be applied to damaged skin, abrasions, and scratches until the wounds have completely healed. Rubbing, warming, and massaging the sore spot should not be done in the first seven days.

After the initial course of treatment with absorbable ointments, when the swelling and hematomas go away, it is permissible to use warming agents, light massages and rubbing. If possible, physiotherapeutic methods (UHF, magnetic therapy, electrophoresis) can be used in the second period of treatment.

How to treat a mild bruise?

A slight head injury often goes unnoticed: a slight swelling, also called a "bump", does not cause much concern. If the blow to the head was accompanied by a prolonged loss of consciousness, fainting or subsequent vomiting, it is worth paying special attention, as these may be symptoms of much more dangerous injuries - a concussion or a brain injury, which is difficult to treat.

With cervical contusions, usually only soft tissues are damaged, which the body "reports" with the help of hematomas, wounds, abrasions or bruises. Contusions of the chest area can cause respiratory arrest or even cardiac arrest, and abdominal contusion can cause internal bleeding or damage to internal organs. After a contusion that occurs as a result of a collision or blow, the following processes occur in the human body: damage and wounds to the skin, damage and rupture of muscles, and blood vessels and nerve endings are also often damaged. With a strong blow to soft tissues, a slight swelling always forms, which is caused by hidden hemorrhage. Bruises are also typical for contusions.

A bruise is caused by the skin being soaked from the inside with dried blood, and it occurs a few minutes after the blow. In the first period after the bruise, it is very important to determine whether the joints, bones and internal organs are damaged. Only after the first examination has been carried out, a specialist can suggest how to treat the bruise.

Immediately after receiving an injury, experts recommend applying a tight bandage to the injured area of the body and ensuring a calm position. If abrasions, scratches or other skin damage have formed at the site of injury, then before applying a bandage, it is worth disinfecting the wounds. After a bruise of the lower extremities, it is recommended to provide the legs with an elevated position and reduce the load as much as possible until the swelling and severe pain disappear. First aid for a bruise is immediate cooling of the injured area, but it is worth remembering that cooled compresses are relevant only in the first day, after 22-24 hours it is better not to cool the bruise, but rather warm it up with baths, compresses, ointments. In the first day, cooling causes vasoconstriction, stops bleeding and has an analgesic effect. If you are not sure that you know how to treat a bruise and not suffer from complications, initially use cooled compresses. In most cases, relief comes after a few minutes and you can think about further treatment: warming patches and ointments are best used on the second day after the blow.

How to treat a bruise using folk methods?

Fans of traditional medicine and "grandfather's" methods say that before treating a bruise, it is necessary to make a compress from fresh cabbage leaves, which has an analgesic effect. You can also make compresses from warm honey and aloe juice. Such a compress must be changed every three to four hours. Any child knows about the healing properties of plantain and burdock. The juice of any dark green plant can help relieve pain after a strong blow and stop the bleeding, which is important in situations where medications are not available.

Many people know how to treat a bruise, but it is necessary to approach this process competently and follow the basic rules so as not to provoke an exacerbation or confuse this traumatic condition with a more serious injury.