How to Treat Bruises for Severe, Deep and Bad Bruises

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Bruises rarely warrant a visit to the doctor. This makes is important to learn how to treat bruises. We discuss how to treat a bad bruise, how to treat bruised ribs and the use of ointment for bruising.

How to treat bruises fast

Bruises are medically known as contusions. These are small collections of blood beneath the skin and the surrounding tissue which appear as purplish or blue stains. Bruises mostly occur as a result of injury. There are, however, people who suffer easy bruising while others suffer spontaneous bruising.

For a bruise to occur, the skin must suffer some trauma which causes damage to the blood vessels. This causes them to burst but the damage is not enough to break the skin and cause bleeding. Since the blood leaks to the surrounding, one experiences skin discoloration.

There are simple ways on how to treat bruises. These help to get rid of the bruises within a short time and using a few first aid steps.

Ice: When ice is applied on the skin, it causes a constriction of the blood vessels. As a result, the blood that seeps through the skin to cause discoloration on bruises is prevented from seeping.  Ice also helps in managing pain. The swelling is also minimized. Due to its numbing effects, there is minimal pain on the bruise.

For maximum effects, start icing the bruise as soon as it forms. Wrap the ice in a clean piece of cloth and rub it on the bruise for 15 minutes. Repeat this after every hour for the first 24 hours of bruising. After this change to heat treatment.

Heat compresses: Once the first 24 hours are over, the ice packs may not be as a method on how to treat bruises. One should then switch to using heat treatment for the next 48hours. These will help to dilate the blood vessels. When this happens, there is improved blood circulation to the bruised area. This helps to speed up the natural mechanism for the body’s removal of pooled blood from the area.

Keep it clean: When one has a bruise, the skin is not broken. One should try to keep it that way by leaving the skin intact. Keep cleaning it up with water and soap. Apply anti-bruising ointment to the bruise after that.

Elevate your feet: For fast healing, one should ensure they prop up the bruised area. By so doing, the blood will be flowing against the forces of gravity. This will help prevent blood from paddling around the injured area. Elevation also helps in easing swelling.

In case the pain from the swelling is too much, one can take Non-Steroidal anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs). These will help take keep away the pain without affecting the bruise. In case the pain and swelling does not go away after a few days, one should see a doctor. This should also b done in case there is an infection.

How to Treat a Deep Bruise

When one gets a deep bruise, it normally is an injury in the quadriceps. These are a group of muscles located in the front side of the thigh. This kind of bruising is common in people who are involved in contact sports.

Deep bruises can be classified as mild, moderate or severe. Mild deep bruises are easy to heal and take the shortest time. Moderate and severe ones take longer to heal. To heal this kind of bruise, one should ensure they Rest, Ice, Compress and Elevate. This is commonly known as the RICE method.

To fully implement it, ensure that you take enough rest. This will see to it that the point of bruising is prevented from straining and thus further injury is avoided. Icing constricts blood vessels to prevent further bleeding as well as numbs the area to avoid swelling and pain. The compress helps to contain movement for the deeply injured part. Elevating the bruise helps to slow down the flow of blood thus stopswelling.

Ointment for Bruises

Another method on how to treat bruises is the use of ointment for bruises. These are great for use at home for tropical application.thy help to get rid of the bruising, diminish discoloration and prevent bruise marks from forming. They havein them active ingredients to work on the skin. Some of the great ingredients are vitamin K and arnica. Arnica has compounds that are strong enough to prevent swelling and inflammation. Vitamin K hastens healing.

Weleda Arnica Ointment for Bruises and Muscle Aches: This ointment is to be applied three times a day or as may be directed by a physician. It contains arnica as the active ingredient to aid in soothing inflammation. It also helps in the overall healing as it helps in the flow of blood around the bruised area.

Hyland’s Bumps ‘N Bruises Ointment: This ointment as well contains arnica and thus offers all the benefits of the herb. It is cheaper than most brands available in the market yet effective.

Triderma Bruise Relief: This ointment is readily available in drug stores. It is formulated with people who bruise easily in mind. This includes children and the elderly. It contains aloe vera to help in getting rid of itchiness and inflammation on the bruise. It is also antiseptic.

Pro-K: Vitamin K is necessary in our bodies as it helps in creation of coagulants in the blood. For bruises to heal, the damaged veins and capillaries have to stop leaking blood in the injured area. For this to happen, it is necessary for blood to clot. This ointment helps the skin to directly benefit from vitamin K.

For the ointments to work in the best way, it is important to take a shower before application. Where a shower or bath is not possible, have the bruised are cleaned up. This will help in opening up the pores and thus enhance the penetration of the ointments. This is important if they are to be effective.

How to Treat a Bad Bruise or Severe Bruising

A severe bruising normally occurs when there is deep tissue injury. This if not well taken care of could cause complications. Bad bruises cause severe pain and can render one incapable of tackling their daily chores for many weeks. One could also experience limited range of movement. In other cases, it is possible to experience a hematoma. This refers to a pool of blood on the injured area forming a lump.

Where the bleeding and swelling are excessive, one could experience shock. Bruising in internal organs can cause damage in internal organs.

To prevent these from getting worse, one ought to conduct various methods on how to treat a bad bruise. Immediately the bruise occurs, one should take rest. Restraining form too many activities will relax the injured area and enhance fast healing.

In the first 24 hours following the bad bruise, keep the bruise iced. This will make the area numb and thus reduce pain. The cold also helps to constrict the blood vessels. This is important as it helps to prevent pooling of blood. When the vessels constrict, the flow is limited. Apply cold packs wrapped up in a piece of cloth for fifteen minutes after every hour.

Slightly wrapping up the bruised area helps to compress it and minimize excessive movement which could make the bruise very painful. Also important is to keep the area elevated. By propping it up the flow of blood to the area and through the damaged vessels will be limited.

The first 24-48 hours of bruising are referred to as the acute phase. The above treatment will have to be given all through. These play a great role in preventing bleeding, relief pain, ease swelling and reduce discoloration. Where one is experiencing too much pain, they could make use on non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs to relief pain. The injured area should not be massaged as this could make things worse.

Where the symptoms do not get better after some time, it may be necessary to visit a doctor. Some of these complications could be compartment syndrome where rapid bleeding becomes extremely painful and swells excessively. There also tends to be a buildup of fluids which could with time disrupt the flow of blood. This normally happens on the foot, buttocks, legs and arms. Compartment syndrome requires surgery for the fluid to be drained.

Another complication could be myositis ossificans which is a condition in which bruised muscles grow bone cells. This could lead to severe pain. In case one continuous with vigorous and strenuous activity the condition could worsen.

How to Treat Bruised Ribs

With 12 ribs that are joined by muscles and tendons, the ribcage is subject to bruising. This is quite common in people who engage in contact sports. It is also possible to experience this in accidents. Bruised ribs involve situations where the ribs are left intact but the muscles and tendons are harmed. To take care of such a situation, there are different ways through which one can take care of the bruises.

To treat this, wrap up the injured part. A rib binder would be perfect for this. This helps to restrict movement especially when one coughs or sneezes and therefore minimize pain. The wrapping shouldnot be too tight as this could limit circulation.

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