A fracture of the lower limb is a fairly serious injury requiring long-term therapy and rehabilitation process. It is accompanied not only by severe pain and bone deformation, but also by the appearance of swelling.
Anyone who has experienced this injury needs to know how to relieve swelling after a broken leg. Since this condition not only brings discomfort, but is also dangerous for the body.
By edema, doctors mean the accumulation of fluid in the tissues surrounding the callus that formed after a fracture. The appearance of swelling is due to the fact that blood flow in the injured limb is disrupted.
Primary edema often appears immediately after injury to a limb. Secondary ones can occur after removal of the plaster, when the integrity of the bones and surrounding tissues is completely restored. But prolonged lack of physical activity and being in a cast have a detrimental effect on blood flow and lymph outflow, which actually causes swelling during the rehabilitation period.
Often, swelling can appear when the ankle or heel bone is damaged. They are quite difficult to treat and have a long-lasting nature. In the case of these injuries, swelling can be caused not only by deterioration of lymph and blood flow, but also by rupture of the tissues surrounding the fracture. This could be a muscle apparatus, tendons or ligaments, and they are known to take much longer to heal than the bone itself heals.
Swelling is accompanied by very severe aching and bursting pain. In addition, it is accompanied by the appearance of a hematoma and changes in the color of the skin around the broken bone. If the fracture is complicated by the presence of fragments, then swelling can be localized not only at the site of injury, but also affect the entire lower limb.
Massage and gymnastic exercises
Therapeutic techniques that help relieve leg swelling due to a fracture, first of all, consist of methods that help normalize blood flow in damaged tissues. You can start using them immediately after applying a plaster cast.
Therapeutic exercises and massage can help relieve swelling. From the first days, doctors advise doing light exercises, starting to work out the leg with the big toe. But it is worth considering that you cannot put any stress on the fracture site in the first week. As the bone heals and the tissue is restored, it is necessary to systematically increase the intensity of physical activity.
If, while performing therapeutic exercises, the patient begins to notice that the injured leg hurts, the number of exercises should be slightly reduced. When the leg begins to heal, the doctor will select the necessary exercises and their quantity in order to stimulate blood flow and reduce swelling in the damaged leg.
Massage procedures are carried out on both sides of the plaster cast (top and bottom). The fracture itself cannot be touched. Massaging muscle areas helps improve blood flow, eliminate lymph congestion and quickly restore damaged tissue. You can entrust this procedure to a massage therapist or learn massage yourself. In addition to this procedure, the traumatologist often prescribes hydromassage sessions performed by a specialist in the traumatology rehabilitation department.
It is necessary to massage the limb starting from the fingertips, moving to the proximal part of the leg. Movements should be stroking and gentle so that the skin does not move. Next, you should move on to rubbing and kneading the muscle areas free from the plaster cast. It is impossible to massage a fracture so as not to displace bone fragments and not lead to excessive growth of callus at the fracture site.
You should not massage the popliteal area, since it contains large regional lymph nodes, which can increase swelling and worsen the general condition of the patient. Massage procedures can be carried out with special absorbable and anti-inflammatory gels.
After the doctor removes the plaster, massage must be done daily in order to prevent atrophy of the muscular system, which has been without movement and stress for a long time.
If massage procedures and therapeutic exercises cause discomfort, you can perform them by placing your foot in a bowl of hot water with a few drops of lavender oil.
Physiotherapy has a good effect on edema. But we should not forget that the procedures do not help immediately, but gradually, so to obtain the desired result you will have to be patient. Physiotherapeutic procedures are carried out after the plaster cast is removed. In order to relieve swelling, they often use:
You can also remove swelling after removing the plaster cast using a specialized ankle splint. If you do not have such a device, replace it with a regular elastic bandage. The load on the areas bordering the bone defect should be limited, since such precautions will help the bones heal faster and get rid of swelling.
Medications will also help reduce swelling during a fracture. Traditional decongestant therapy consists of the use of various ointments and gels to relieve swelling, inflammation and resolve hematomas. This treatment is aimed at improving blood flow and eliminating congestion in damaged tissues.
For this purpose, heparin-based gels with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory components are used. Such drugs are represented by Diclofenac and Ortofen. Their analgesic and decongestant effect is to block mediators that cause inflammatory processes.
Using the gel drug Troxevasin, you can strengthen the vascular walls, thus relieving the swelling of the affected tissues. The above-described drugs can be used only after consultation with a surgeon or traumatologist.
Drug therapy is prescribed in the first few days after the fracture. Then the traumatologist can prescribe warming and absorbable applications containing ichthyol ointment. It can also be rubbed into the skin around the damaged area until completely absorbed. This treatment must be carried out twice a day for three weeks.
If you don’t know how to relieve swelling after a broken leg, try doing it using folk remedies, but before doing this, be sure to consult a doctor.
Traditional therapy aimed at reducing swelling often takes quite a long time, so in order to speed up this process in combination with it, you can use folk recipes whose effectiveness has been tested by time.
After removing the plaster cast, you can rub essential oils into the fracture. Fir oil is best suited for this purpose. But in order not to burn the skin, it must be diluted with neutral oil, for example, massage oil. This mixture is suitable for both massage procedures and compresses. Coniferous oil concentrate allows not only to warm damaged tissues, but also to accelerate regenerative processes and blood flow.
Clay applications are also great for dealing with swelling. To do this, you can use any cosmetic clay that is sold in a pharmacy. Blue clay is often used in decongestant compresses. To make such a compress, you need to apply clay diluted with water to the affected area and cover it with a film, leaving the compress for an hour. Thus, it is necessary to be treated until the swelling disappears completely.
You can also make lotions from arnica infusion. To prepare it, take 3 tablespoons of this plant and add boiling water, leaving the infusion for an hour. Then soak gauze in it and apply it to the affected leg for thirty minutes. It is recommended to conduct treatment sessions before going to bed.
Foot baths with the addition of salt and horsetail relieve swelling.
To remove excess liquid from soft tissues, you can try mixing pine resin, copper sulfate and boiled onions. Pour the resulting slurry with olive oil. Then put the mixture on the stove and boil over low heat. After the medicine boils, strain and pour it into a dark bottle. The prepared oil solution can be used as a rub or compresses, which should be done twice a day for a month.
You can also prepare the following composition. Take two tablespoons of ground wormwood and pour a glass of water into it. Then boil the resulting mixture for 10 minutes and leave to infuse for two hours. When the broth has cooled, strain it through cheesecloth and mix it with aloe juice. Leave the resulting tincture for an hour. Then soak gauze in it and apply it to the sore spot, after wrapping it in film and securing it with an elastic bandage. This bandage must be worn for four hours. Repeat the procedure daily for a month.
Using all of the above methods, you can get rid of swelling much faster and reduce the rehabilitation period after injury. Be healthy.
Edema is the accumulation of some fluid in the soft tissues of the body. Often after a leg fracture, you may notice swelling of the injured limb. This occurs because blood flow to this area of the body has been disrupted. Swelling most often occurs only with a leg injury. It can appear either immediately after the initial injury or develop after a significant period of time, despite the fact that all traces of the fracture have long since healed.
Typically, swelling resulting from a leg injury is a long-term and persistent phenomenon. Often the cause of such consequences of injury, in addition to poor blood flow, is damage or disruption of the integrity of muscle tissue, muscles or ligaments, disruption of their normal functioning.
When swelling of the injured leg appears, the patient most often experiences severe aching pain at the fracture site. You may also notice a change in the color of the skin in this area. If the leg fracture was open, comminuted, displaced, or intra-articular, then the swelling can cover not only the injured part of the limb, but also its entirety.
Sometimes patients with such injuries may lose sensitivity of the skin at the fracture site, experience constant pain in this place, and the person’s motor activity often decreases. It is because of this that complications can develop and controversial situations arise among traumatologists during examination and treatment.
There are often cases when, after applying a plaster by medical workers, the bones heal well, and after removing the bandage, the skin and tissues remain without visible damage, however, after a certain period of time, during the patient’s rehabilitation, swelling of the previously injured limb occurs.
Such problems are mainly considered lymphatic, which gives them the name “lymphedema”.
Lymphatic edema occurs as a result of disruption of the production and drainage of lymph. And as a result of a fracture, not only bones can be damaged, but also nearby tissues, blood vessels, muscles, ligaments, nerves, lymph nodes, etc. As a result of the appearance of lymphostasis, complications may arise that manifest themselves in the form of elephantiasis, cysts, ulcers, fibrosis, and others. There are cases when, with swelling of the tissue, not only does it thicken, but also in the place where the injury occurred, thickening of the skin occurs.
If the integrity of the ligaments is violated, movements in the joints are limited, or, conversely, excessive mobility appears in them. Because of this, the joints swell more, which is the cause of bone growths and the development of ivory disease.
If any symptoms of swelling of the leg appear after a fracture, you should immediately consult a doctor; ignoring them will entail far from the most pleasant consequences.
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Modern medications or procedures prescribed by a doctor can easily relieve leg swelling after a serious injury. There are several methods for eliminating swelling of the extremities: folk, traditional and alternative.
Traditional methods include the use of various gels, creams and ointments, which help improve lymph flow, as well as blood flow. To apply this method of treatment, drugs containing heparin, anti-inflammatory substances and topical ketoprofen-containing drugs are used.
In addition to drugs that are used only externally, various physical procedures are also used, such as UV irradiation, electrophoresis, electrical stimulation, etc. However, it is always worth remembering that traditional treatment methods do not always give the patient the opportunity to see results in a short period of time.
Here are some examples of what a doctor may prescribe to relieve leg swelling after a fracture:
Ketoprofen or ichthyol ointment, they have a warming effect, improve blood flow and lymph outflow. They should be applied no more than 2-3 times during the day, gently rubbing into the skin area until completely absorbed;
Hydromassage or even regular massage will also promote better blood supply to damaged tissues and improve the production and drainage of lymph. You can entrust the massage to a specialist, however, if you wish, you can do it at home yourself after being advised by an experienced massage therapist;
Electrical muscle stimulation also has beneficial effects on tissue and muscle after injury;
UV irradiation of the fracture site;
If traditional treatment methods do not help, then you should turn to proven traditional medicine. This will give faster results.
Treatment with this method involves rubbing a variety of special oils into the area where the fracture occurred. Fir, cedar and other oils that have a warming effect and tissue regeneration can be used as rubbing oils. Compresses using special clay or tinctures are also used (some of them can be taken orally).
Here are some examples of traditional treatments that are the most effective in relieving swelling after a fracture of the lower extremities:
Blue clay is used. A small cake is made from it, which should completely cover the damaged area. And it is applied to the site of injury for 40-60 minutes. This compress can be done 2-3 times a day;
Fir oil is thoroughly rubbed into the skin where tissue swelling is observed. The procedure should be done immediately after sleep and before it. This recipe is used most often and is the most effective;
Arnica infusion. A few tablespoons of the crushed plant are poured with boiling water; approximately 30 g of arnica is taken per 1 liter of liquid. Leave everything for about 60 minutes, filter through several layers of gauze. The resulting infusion is used for lotions and compresses, which are applied for 1/4 hour shortly before bedtime.
Author of the article: Yulia Valerievna Vafaeva, nephrologist; Kaplan Alexander Sergeevich, traumatologist, orthopedist
Swelling of the leg after a fracture is considered normal, since tissue injury always leads to the accumulation of fluid due to impaired circulation and natural drainage of lymph. In most cases, swelling appears immediately after the fracture, but it can also occur somewhat later, while wearing a cast and even after the fracture has healed.
There is severe swelling when a leg is broken in the heel and ankle area, since they bear the greatest load and the bones take longer to heal. In case of serious injury, when the ligamentous apparatus is damaged, severe swelling occurs, the so-called elephantiasis. If such swelling is not treated, it can bother you for several years, causing serious inconvenience to a person.
Whatever the reason for the appearance of leg swelling after a fracture, you need to consult a specialist as soon as possible, which will allow you to avoid unpleasant consequences. To determine exactly why the leg is swollen, radiography and ultrasound examination of the vessels of the limb are prescribed.
If you follow the recommendations and follow special requirements, you can prevent leg swelling or minimize it.
When edema appears after a limb fracture, treatment includes medications, physiotherapeutic and traditional methods.
Physiotherapy procedures are carried out after removal of the plaster cast and as prescribed by the doctor.
No matter how simple and attractive the folk method of treating leg swelling after a fracture may be, it is not recommended to use it without first consulting a doctor.
To prevent the appearance of swelling in the leg after removal of the cast and full recovery, it is necessary to avoid sudden and significant stress, beware of repeated injury, even minimal, eat foods rich in calcium, vitamin D, phosphorus, and also drink less fluid for some time.
Swelling that appears after a fracture should be treated comprehensively, considering and taking into account the accompanying symptoms. The specialist will indicate not only how to relieve swelling, but also to prevent its occurrence in the future, and to eliminate post-traumatic manifestations as much as possible.
Due to any type of injury in the tissues, the natural outflow of lymph and general blood flow are disrupted. Through capillaries, the smallest blood vessels, there is a continuous exchange between the liquid part of the blood and tissue fluid. Swelling of the leg after a fracture is a standard occurrence with this type of injury.
The release of fluid through the walls of blood vessels into the surrounding tissue occurs constantly. This process is called "transudation". As a result of a disruption in the relationship between the inflow and outflow of tissue fluid (if a large amount of fluid is released into the surrounding tissue from the vessels, and its reabsorption is difficult or completely stopped), swelling occurs.
This is the first and main explanation for the fact why fractures of the limbs irreversibly lead to stagnant and prolonged swelling . Another reason for their appearance is general damage to muscles, ligaments and tissues, disruption of their integrity and normal functioning.
Edema is the accumulation of watery fluid in body tissues.
Swelling in the area of the bone fracture often does not occur immediately. It is of an increasing nature and localized (spreads directly on and around the damaged area).
Swelling is almost always accompanied by aching pain in the injured area and a change in skin color in this area. With comminuted, intra-articular fractures, as well as displaced injuries, the tumor can spread not only to the damaged area, but to the entire limb.
Such injuries may be accompanied by loss of tissue sensitivity, general pain and severe limitations in movement. That is why this is a pressing problem in traumatology and the most common complication during fractures (as well as after them).
In medical practice, there are cases when bone consolidation occurs successfully, the plaster cast is accordingly removed, the site of the leg fracture and nearby tissues do not bother the patient, but after a while, during the rehabilitation process, the patient still experiences swelling.
Such problems are lymphatic and are called “lymphostasis”.
Lymphatic edema is caused by a disruption in the relationship between the formation of lymph and its outflow. It can also be caused by injuries (in particular fractures), which entail damage not only to bones, muscles and ligaments, but also damage to blood vessels and lymph nodes. In turn, lymphostasis carries with it a number of complications, which include ulcers, elephantiasis, fibrosis, cystosis, etc. In addition to tissue compaction, thickening of the skin is observed.
Among the factors and reasons that explain the appearance of a tumor is serious injury. Severe damage to the ligaments entails not only restrictions on movement in the joints, or their pathologically excessive mobility, but also swelling of the joints, which usually grow and acquire a special magnitude (up to an “elephant” appearance).
If symptoms are ignored and proper treatment is neglected, this condition of the limb can persist even after bone fusion, and sometimes becomes permanent for up to several years.
An objective diagnosis of injury and the answer to the main question can only be given by a traumatologist , after assessing the overall clinical picture and the patient undergoing an R-image (X-ray) procedure.
It should be remembered that treating a tumor of this kind is absolutely useless, since it is only a symptom of a disease or injury (in particular a fracture of one of the limbs), but not a separate disease that requires direct treatment.
However, if the doctor has diagnosed a broken leg, the patient can get rid of swelling by treating the injury and relieving its painful and uncomfortable symptoms.
All this can be eliminated with various drugs and procedures, including traditional, traditional and alternative medicine.
Traditional medicine, as a rule, involves the patient using various ointments and gels that improve blood and lymph flow. Such ointments include heparin-containing drugs, anti-inflammatory drugs (for example, ichthyol ointment), as well as ketoprofen-containing drugs.
In addition to external medications, physiotherapeutic procedures (electrophoresis, UV irradiation, electrical stimulation) are prescribed. Traditional treatment does not always achieve quick and visible results. sometimes you have to wait quite a bit.
Traditional medicine involves relieving leg swelling after fractures by rubbing in regenerating oils (cedar, fir and others), applying clay compresses and using various tinctures (tincture of arnica, wormwood, calendula). Some herbal tinctures are recommended to be taken internally.
Alternative medicine involves the use of bioresonance therapy devices.
Post-traumatic swelling of the extremities causes not only tissue tension, difficulty in movement and pain. They often affect the patient’s appearance, especially if they spread over large areas and persist for a long time.
Timely diagnosis, as well as selection of the correct treatment during the rehabilitation process will help eliminate unpleasant symptoms and accompanying pain quite quickly, if you give importance to the existing problem in time.
In addition to injury, swelling may appear after wearing a plaster cast for a long time. The skin becomes bluish or red. The extent of swelling and its duration largely depend on the severity of the injury and its location.
[adrotate banner=»4″] Exercise therapy is used to normalize blood flow in the area of injury. After the doctor's permission, exercises to restore blood circulation can be done before the cast is removed. The following rule must be followed: be careful when putting weight on the injured leg or arm. The load on the fracture site is eliminated . The number of movements and their intensity increase as the bone heals.
A professional: an instructor or a rehabilitation therapist should advise on how to relieve swelling after a broken leg or arm using physical therapy. It is important to remember that there are no universal exercises. For a broken tibia, you need some exercises, for a broken femur, others, and after a broken ankle, others. Gymnastics should be carried out under the supervision of a specialist who, when choosing exercises, will take into account the physical capabilities and condition of the patient.
This procedure restores blood supply to damaged areas, prevents muscles from atrophying, and prevents the development of stagnant processes in tissues. Most often, manipulations are carried out after the plaster is removed. Ideally, massage should be performed by a professional massage therapist who specializes in trauma. In some cases, massage can be performed at home. In this case, you must adhere to the following rules:
Physiotherapeutic treatment is prescribed by a doctor and carried out in special rooms of medical institutions. The following procedures are used to relieve swelling:
How to relieve leg swelling after a fracture faster? External remedies from the pharmacy will come to the rescue. The most widely used drugs in this area include Lyoton, heparin ointment, Troxevasin, Indovasin . The selection of medications should be done by a doctor. In addition to external remedies, he can prescribe anti-inflammatory, painkillers and other drugs.
How can you relieve swelling after a broken arm at home? Recipes from traditional healers will help. Their use significantly reduces the treatment time for traumatic tumors. Before using folk remedies, you need to coordinate their use with your doctor.
There are many folk recipes that speed up the resorption of edema. However, treatment with them is not recommended without consultation with a specialist.
The swelling that appears after a fracture is caused by poor circulation in the injured area of the body. Most often, such swelling occurs after a fracture of the lower extremities. Such swelling may appear immediately after injury, or may develop even after several years, when all traces of the fracture have disappeared.
The edema that appears after a fracture, like any other, is caused by the accumulation of fluids in the intercellular space. Since after a fracture the injured area of the body is in plaster for a long time, the circulation of fluids in it is disrupted. As a result, swelling occurs that needs to be removed.
If the swelling is severe, immediate assistance from a doctor is necessary to relieve the swelling. After all, this may mean that an important artery was compressed by the bone. If you do not pay attention to this, tissue death may begin after a while. The reason for this is the lack of nutrients and oxygen that are carried through the arterial blood.
To prevent swelling, it is first necessary to work correctly with the injured limb. Primary requirements:
To relieve swelling after a fracture, the following traditional medicine methods are used:
And several folk recipes that also help resolve swelling after a fracture:
Swelling after a fracture is common and can be easily treated in most cases, so there is no need to worry about it. It is important to see a doctor promptly if pain and swelling increases and follow all instructions from your doctor. If the swelling is not removed in time, complications are possible.
As a rule, swelling associated with limb trauma persists for quite a long time, which is due to impaired blood supply. Swelling is especially common in patients with a femoral neck injury - in this case, the likelihood of developing unwanted complications increases.
It is known that with any injury, the flow of lymph in the lymphatic vessels and the normal blood supply to tissues are disrupted. Due to the difficult outflow of fluid in the injured limb, a large amount of exudate is released from small vessels into the soft tissues, while its reabsorption slows down, which is what causes the appearance of a tumor. In addition, in a broken leg there is always damage to the muscle fibers, ligaments and soft tissues, as a result of which their normal functioning is complicated - this also causes an increase in swelling.
Swelling may be the result of an incorrectly applied plaster cast, due to which soft tissues and blood vessels are compressed, and limb movement is difficult. In this case, after a fracture, the leg not only swells, but also acquires a bluish tint.
Sometimes, after the bone has healed and the plaster has been removed, during the rehabilitation process the patient notices swelling at the fracture site. This is usually associated with lymphostasis - impaired circulation of lymphatic fluid, which requires additional treatment.
A special case is a femoral neck fracture. This injury is considered quite serious; swelling can be caused by a number of reasons:
Leg swelling after an ankle fracture may be due to damage to the arteries in the ankle area, which will require further diagnosis.
Traditional medicine offers several ways to treat leg swelling after a fracture:
Ointments for topical use are indicated to improve blood supply, relieve pain, inflammation and swelling, normalize fluid exchange in tissues and strengthen blood vessels. The most common drugs for the treatment of edema are the following drugs:
After relieving severe pain, the main task is to eliminate the swelling at the site of injury. In case of an ankle fracture, it is advisable to keep the leg slightly elevated to facilitate the drainage of fluid. Warming ointments are used only after pain has been eliminated. Due to increased blood flow and tissue irritation, redness at the application site is possible. In order to remove the symptoms of inflammation, sometimes the patient is prescribed drugs to take orally - Artrosan, Movalis.
Therapeutic exercise is aimed at restoring the strength and mobility of an atrophied limb. As a rule, exercises begin after the plaster cast is removed. By stimulating the blood supply and eliminating congestion, the swelling in the leg begins to subside.
Massage after injury is aimed at stimulating blood circulation and lymphatic drainage, thereby reducing swelling of the limb. It is advisable that the procedure be performed by a professional, since manual techniques are not acceptable in all cases, for example, when there is a high risk of blood clots due to a hip fracture.
Among the methods of physiotherapeutic treatment, several techniques are used:
All these procedures are carried out only after removing the plaster cast.
Treatment of swelling of a limb after a fracture using alternative medicine methods involves the use of some medicinal plant oils, which are rubbed into the site of injury. The most commonly used oil is fir oil, which has a warming effect. In addition, compresses are made from clay or pharmaceutical tinctures.
Blue clay is used as follows: the powder is lightly moistened with water and a cake is formed that completely covers the swollen area. The cake is applied to the site of injury and kept for half an hour or an hour. The procedure can be repeated 2-3 times a day.
Fir oil is rubbed into the skin in the morning after waking up and before bed. Arnica tincture is especially effective; you can prepare it yourself. To do this, take 1 tablespoon of the crushed plant and pour a glass of boiling water. Leave for an hour, filter, then moisten gauze with the infusion and apply to the limb at the site of the fracture. The duration of the procedure is 15 minutes, preferably before bedtime.
It is important to monitor the condition of the injured limb. Swelling is a natural phenomenon, but should gradually subside. If the swelling persists for a long time or even increases, you should seek medical help.