The phrase “nose bones” does not sound entirely correct. The nose is made up of five cartilages that are attached to the nasal bone of the skull. Cartilages - quadrangular cartilage, 2 movable pterygoid cartilages and 2 movable lateral cartilages. How quickly do bones heal after a broken nose?
Statistics say that a broken nose is the most common facial injury:
A fracture of the nasal bone is a rather complex injury; restoration of cartilage damage is faster.
Depending on the direction of the blow, a nasal fracture can be lateral (cartilage is displaced to the side) or direct (cartilage is displaced inside the nasal cavity).
A nasal fracture is most often diagnosed visually. But still, the doctor collects an anamnesis, that is, finds out the circumstances of the injury. Based on the mechanism of injury, one can judge the condition of the cartilage and nasal bone. Palpation determines the mobility of cartilage and the degree of pain and swelling, the condition of the mucous membranes, and determines the curvature of the nasal septum.
An x-ray will show the true position and condition of the “skeleton” of the nose. CT and radiography make it possible to fully characterize the extent of the damage, including the condition of the surrounding areas of the face and head (skull bones, sinuses, etc.).
The doctor also prescribes laboratory tests:
These studies allow you to analyze the general condition of the patient. When the nose is broken, hematomas form under the eyes and there is almost always bleeding. But bleeding can be both external and internal.
If the approximate level of blood loss can be determined by external bleeding, then internal blood loss can only be judged by laboratory tests. Blood from the nose may contain glucose - this indicates damage to the spinal canal with the release of cerebrospinal fluid. Such serious damage indicates a fracture of the cribriform plate.
Note! A severe fracture of the nose is accompanied by painful shock and large blood loss
Collecting analysis helps determine additional consultations with doctors. Thus, a fracture of the nose due to a fall during an epileptic seizure requires consultation with a neurologist, combined trauma of the nasal bones and eye orbits requires consultation with a maxillofacial surgeon, etc.
First aid for a broken nose is to apply ice - this will help relieve swelling, stop bleeding and numb the fracture site. After the doctor has diagnosed a “fracture of the nasal bones” and all the features of this fracture have been clarified, treatment should begin.
A displaced fracture must first be reduced before fixation. But reduction is recommended only if there is obvious deformity or difficulty breathing.
If the patient sees a doctor less than 6 hours after receiving the injury, then repositioning can be done immediately after a full examination. If more than 6 hours have passed, then repositioning (reduction) is recommended to be done only a few days later, after the swelling of the nasal area has completely subsided.
Reposition is performed under local anesthesia. Reduction occurs instrumentally. A thin elevator medical instrument is inserted into the nasal passage; if necessary, 2 elevators are used to straighten the cartilages on both sides simultaneously.
If the fracture is accompanied by damage to the skin, then it is also necessary to perform primary surgical treatment of the wound and suturing it. After installing the cartilages along the center line of the nose, you need to fix them.
This can be achieved in two ways:
The photo shows examples of fixation of the nasal bones:
Tamponade consists of cotton swabs soaked in antibiotics to fight infection. Tamponade can last about 6-7 days. All this time the patient has to breathe through his mouth.
External splinting – a plaster cast on the nasal area. This plaster is applied for 1-2 weeks. Restoration of the bones and cartilage of the nose occurs after 3 weeks.
Moreover, if after the first reduction there is a need for repeated reduction, then it is recommended to do it up to 3 weeks after the injury, when the cartilages have not yet fused sufficiently. How long does it take for a nasal fracture to heal?
In a period of 7 days to 3 weeks, the nasal cartilage already begins to fuse, so reduction will be complicated and quite painful. The procedure will be performed under general anesthesia. But if more than 3 weeks have passed, then additional reposition of the nasal cartilage is possible only after 3 months (rhinoplasty).
How quickly do the nasal bones heal after a fracture if there are some health problems? Depending on the individual characteristics of the patient’s body, complete restoration of cartilage tissue may occur within six months.
After the reposition has been carried out, you should adhere to some rules in everyday life:
How long does it take for a nasal fracture to heal without reduction?
It depends on the complexity of the fracture. Soft tissue can become pinched between bone and cartilage fragments, which does not prevent the cartilage from touching. Fusion will still happen, but it will take much longer. In addition, if the fusion is incorrect, the nose will not be entirely aesthetically pleasing.
Also, curvature of the nasal passages leads to the development of breathing problems. In this regard, frequent headaches appear due to lack of oxygen in the body. Visual acuity, hearing, and changes in olfactory sensations may decrease.
You should not postpone treatment for a nasal fracture until a later date. It is better to consult a doctor immediately after receiving an injury. And if you come for help after 3-4 weeks, the reduction will be complicated by technique.
After all, the doctor will have to break the already fused bones and cartilage and restore their correct position. You may also need rhinoplasty, which will cost a fairly large amount (the average price in the Russian Federation is 120 thousand rubles, and in plastic clinics it is even more expensive), and primary reduction can cost about 5 thousand rubles, taking into account anesthesia.
The video in this article illustrates rhinoplasty:
Basically, treatment for a nasal fracture consists of repositioning and fixing displaced fragments of bone and cartilage in the nasal area. But there is also a need for the use of pharmaceuticals. For example, in case of an open fracture, that is, in case of damage to the skin, it is mandatory to be vaccinated against tetanus.
It is recommended to prescribe drugs that have a symptomatic effect:
A bruise is a common injury in people of all ages; it occurs in everyday life, during sports, and accidents. Sometimes a bone fracture can be mistaken for a bruise, and, accordingly, the treatment is carried out incorrectly. You need to know the main symptoms and be able to distinguish between these two injuries, as well as provide first aid for them.
A fracture is a violation of the integrity of bone tissue or periosteum, which can be open when the skin is damaged, closed, with or without displacement of bone fragments, marginal, transversely serrated, helical depending on the fracture line, incomplete, like a “maple branch” ", pathological in origin. Most often, a fracture without displacement of the bones or a marginal fracture can be mistaken for a bruise.
A bruise is damage to soft tissues (skin, subcutaneous tissue, muscles) without a visible violation of their integrity.
All these symptoms may also be present in fractures, especially without displacement of bone fragments, incomplete, subperiosteal in children, impacted.
Only a doctor can accurately determine the nature of the damage, including using additional diagnostic methods (radiography, computed tomography). Therefore, if there is even a slight suspicion of a fracture, you need to give rest to the injured area. For this purpose, if a limb is injured, a splint should be applied, fixing the leg or arm in a stationary position. It is also necessary to apply cold to the site of injury to cause vascular contraction and give an anesthetic. If the fracture is open, apply a sterile dressing if possible. If the injury is obvious, the victim will require temporary use of ice and rest for the first few hours, after which the symptoms will lessen or disappear.
If you do not know for sure whether a fracture or bruise of a limb has occurred, the right decision would be to go to the emergency room at your place of residence or to the emergency room of a hospital where there is a surgical or, even better, trauma department. An orthopedic traumatologist treats fractures of the limbs, but a surgeon can also help. If this is not possible, contact a physician or pediatrician who is also familiar with the rules of first aid for injuries. When treating fractures, it will be useful to consult a nutritionist (in order to avoid osteoporosis or weight gain), a chiropractor, a massage therapist, or a physiotherapist. If the fracture was related to a fall, consult with a cardiologist and neurologist to identify the disease that led to the fall, especially in older people. A gynecologist and rheumatologist will help you choose therapy for osteoporosis, which causes increased bone fragility.
When it comes to leg injuries , most often a person receives a severe bruise to his leg. In essence, a bruise is damage to the integrity of the skin and tissue of the leg, accompanied by swelling. This kind of injury is much more serious than an ordinary bruise or abrasion. The shins, feet, knee joints and fingers are most susceptible to its influence. You can distinguish a bruise from another type of injury thanks to characteristic symptoms.
First of all, a bruise occurs as a result of a blow or a fall , so the person is overcome by an attack of pain. If the fall occurred on the knee joint, then after the pain passes, after a while the bruised area begins to swell, and motor function is significantly reduced. A characteristic symptom in this case is the person’s subconscious need to keep his leg in a bent position. When straightening the knee, acute pain is observed.
However, similar symptoms are also typical in cases of dislocation or rupture of ligaments. In athletes, injuries can often be accompanied by bone fractures, which at first have the same external manifestations as with a severe bruise. Of course, the most accurate diagnosis can only be obtained in a clinical setting using an x-ray. And at the same time, the main difference between a bruised limb and a fracture or dislocation is the ability to move the leg even with severe pain.
The bruise is accompanied by swelling due to injury to nearby vessels, which creates hemorrhages in the joint cavities, forming a hematoma. At first, edema is a slight swelling, but after a couple of days its size can increase significantly. A blue-purple bruise also forms near the site of the injury, and after 3-4 days it changes its color to yellow. Treatment of edema must be carried out strictly following the doctor's instructions, while bruises can be eliminated independently by resorting to traditional methods.
In some cases, a leg bruise can be so severe that there is necrosis of the skin adjacent to the injury site, which leads to its rejection. This condition is associated with severe pain in the periosteum. Sometimes detachment may occur. This signals the need to see a doctor immediately.
The human foot and toes are especially at risk of injury during the summer when people wear open-toed shoes. Although any bruise and its consequences are extremely unpleasant, these parts of the limb cause much more discomfort due to the need to put on shoes. When a heel or foot is bruised, the hematoma grows within a few hours. It hurts to walk, but it’s possible. Here it is important to contact a traumatologist to make sure that the tendons are not damaged.
With a severe bruise of a toe, acute pain and limited mobility of the joint are observed, the hematoma and swelling progress. In some cases, when a bruise occurs, the integrity of the nail plate is damaged, and it is important to know what to do to prevent infection through microcracks in the nail. First of all, the nail should be washed with hydrogen peroxide and then disinfected with iodine. A severe bruise on your toe is a signal to visit a doctor.
Any injury can be more serious than it might seem at first glance. In case of a bruise, it is important to carry out the correct sequence of manipulations so as not to aggravate the situation of an already injured limb. To be on the safe side in case of a leg injury that is accompanied by acute pain, you need to call an ambulance so that specialists can assess the degree of complications. A similar action must be taken if the leg is swollen.
Regardless of whether the patient decided to seek the help of a doctor in time or decided to cope with the task on his own, there are generally accepted first aid measures for bruises. The most faithful assistant in this situation is cold . It must be applied to the site of the injury , using the following options:
If after an injury the limb is swollen (edema), you can also resort to a cold compress soaked in a decoction of:
For these purposes, take one or more herbs and pour boiling water over them, letting them brew for about 40 minutes. Then moisten gauze in it and apply it to the site of swelling. It is important to pay attention to the fact that the resulting decoction must cool, so a warm compress can aggravate the situation. It is also useful to apply a well-washed plantain leaf to the site of the bruise, and apply a bandage on top.
It is best to try to resort to traditional methods in treatment, using decoctions of herbs and medicinal flowers. However, these methods are often good in the first days after the injury, and if they fail to independently eliminate all the consequences of the bruise, then they have to resort to medical creams and ointments. A few days after a leg injury, lumps, which are popularly called “bumps,” may be observed in the area of the injury. This is caused by blood vessels breaking and blood entering the muscle tissue. Effective means for dealing with seals after a bruise are:
At the early stage of manifestation of compactions, their further growth can be avoided thanks to the cabbage leaf. It is doused with boiling water, and then applied to the bruised area for several hours and wrapped in a bandage. The cabbage lotion should be changed every few hours, using fresh leaves. However, even all the methods described above will not be a panacea for the possible consequences of injury. It is better not to figure out how to treat a bruise on your own, but to seek the help of specialists in a timely manner.
To properly provide assistance, you need to know how to distinguish a bruise from a fracture. To do this, you need to navigate the main symptoms of possible bone injuries. However, self-diagnosis and treatment should be undertaken only as a last resort, when it is not possible to promptly consult a specialist, since an incorrect diagnosis can aggravate the condition and subsequently slow down the process of recovery and restoration of motor functions.
Getting injured in everyday life is not at all difficult:
The most commonly affected areas are the legs, arms and ribs.
What is a bruise? When a bruise occurs, soft tissue and possibly internal organs are injured. At the same time, their legal capacity is preserved. It is easy to get this kind of damage. In childhood, almost every person encountered similar injuries. Abrasions on the knees, bumps on the forehead, bruises from falls are constant companions of active children. The main signs of a bruise:
However, any bruise can be accompanied by more severe consequences.
Usually a lump forms at the site of the injury. If you immediately apply ice or any cold object to it, you can stop the development of swelling. You should also pay attention to the general well-being of the victim. If he feels dizzy, weak, or nauseous, this may indicate a possible concussion (injury to the head). In this case, you must urgently contact a medical institution for help.
Important! Before applying ice to the bruised area, the ice itself must be wrapped in cloth. This will help avoid frostbite of the skin.
Usually it is not the entire limb that is injured, but a certain part of it: knee, elbow, ankle, hand, fingers. If, in addition to an abrasion, bruise, or swelling, external deformation or pain during movement is observed, then a doctor’s examination is needed. Only a specialist will be able to distinguish a bruise from a dislocation, sprain (rupture) of ligaments or a closed fracture. Moreover, an x-ray must be taken to rule out a possible bone fracture.
In the event of a dislocation, a traumatologist will replace the displaced joint. If necessary, a rigid bandage or even a cast will be applied (if the ligaments are torn). The doctor will give the necessary recommendations for a speedy recovery of the body.
A bone fracture is a complete or partial damage to a skeletal bone. You can get a fracture as a result of injury, but often such injuries are the result of a disease of the human bone tissue. There are two types of fractures:
A closed fracture is often confused with a bruise and people do not rush to see a doctor. However, a closed fracture has its own clear symptoms:
It is possible to determine exactly whether the bone is broken or just a crack has formed in it only after an x-ray.
Rib fractures are a fairly common occurrence when the chest is injured. Such a fracture can be caused by a blow, an unfortunate fall, or a traffic accident. Depending on the number of damaged ribs, the severity of the injury is determined.
A fracture of 1-2 ribs is considered a minor injury, since the likelihood of damage to internal organs is very low. The more ribs are broken, the greater the chance of getting concomitant injury to the lungs and other organs (heart, liver, kidneys) from bone fragments.
A characteristic symptom is pain when trying to breathe. Mild rib fractures do not require hospitalization. It is enough to take medications that will relieve pain. In case of serious damage, surgery is necessary to restore the ribs.
A broken limb is a very unpleasant injury that can disable an arm or leg for several weeks. Treatment in this case directly depends on the severity of the fracture.
In case of a closed fracture of the extremities with displacement, the specialist, using anesthesia, puts the bone in place. Next, a cast is applied, which must be worn until the bone tissue at the site of injury is completely restored. In case of a fracture with fragments, surgery is necessary to remove bone particles that can damage internal organs and soft tissue.
To fully restore motor functions, therapeutic exercises, swimming, and physiotherapy are recommended. Sometimes an arm or leg does not heal properly. In this case, the bone is re-broken and re-grown. If this is not done, in the future there may be stiffness in movements, improper load on the joints, which can lead to their rapid wear and disability.
Despite some similarity of symptoms (swelling, hematoma), the difference between these two injuries is obvious. An accurate and final diagnosis can only be made by a traumatologist, based on information from an x-ray.
It is necessary to know the differences between a bruise and a fracture. But it is equally important to know what needs to be done to alleviate the victim’s condition before the specialist arrives and without harming him.
This is especially important in cases where it is not possible to quickly obtain qualified assistance. For example, if the accident occurred while hiking in the mountains or forest. Sometimes you can wait several hours for help in such a situation.
If a closed fracture is suspected:
In case of severe injury:
These simple recommendations will help reduce the likelihood of complications from such injuries.
If you hit yourself hard, it is very important to know how to distinguish a fracture from a bruise, because these two injuries have very similar symptoms, but radically different treatment. You can get a fracture or bruise at any age. The causes of these two injuries are the same, so sometimes it is difficult to understand which of the two injuries occurred, and this is very important.
Damage to limbs or other parts of the body can be caused by:
As you can see, the risk of getting a bruised arm, a broken foot, or a crack is very high, so you need to understand how the symptoms and treatment for these injuries differ. To do this, it is worth taking a closer look at what each damage represents.
In case of a bruise, internal tissues or organs are damaged, but there is no violation of the integrity of the skin. Most often, a bruised toe occurs, especially the big toe and little toe, although the hands also suffer from this injury very often.
Most bruises occur from a strong blow with a heavy blunt object or from a fall. With this injury, soft tissues and internal organs located behind them are subject to damage. In the area where the bruise is localized, an inflammatory process occurs, swelling begins and subcutaneous hemorrhage occurs. If a finger is severely bruised, its mobility is impaired due to swelling.
In case of fractures, the integrity of bones or cartilage tissue is completely or partially disrupted. With an incomplete fracture, we are talking about a bone crack. A fracture of an arm, leg or other part of the body can lead to damage to surrounding tissues, such as skin, muscles, blood vessels and nerve endings, in addition to bones.
Fractures can be traumatic or pathological. A traumatic fracture of a finger occurs if a mechanical force is applied to the finger, which in its strength exceeds what the bone can withstand. A pathological fracture can occur even from minimal force if a person has diseases that disrupt the structure of bone tissue. These diseases include:
Depending on the integrity or damage to the skin, the fracture can be closed or open. If the fracture of the hand is open, then sharp bone fragments tear the skin, profuse external bleeding appears as the vessels are damaged. The injured part of the bone is clearly visible through the wound; sometimes the bone may stick out from the wound. Treatment of such injuries has a certain complexity, because infection can enter the wound.
With a closed fracture, the skin is not broken, but the broken bone touches the vessels, which leads to subcutaneous hemorrhage in the form of a hematoma. If with closed fractures it is possible to apply a plaster cast, then with open ones this is problematic, since the wound cannot be closed. Distinguishing the type of injury is very important, since a closed fracture and a bruise can be easily confused.
It is important to know how to distinguish a bruise from a fracture, because the primary symptoms of these injuries are almost the same. The main signs of a fracture and bruise include:
The severity of pain during a bruise depends on how developed a person’s muscle tissue and fat layer are. If a thin person bruises a finger on his hand, he will feel the pain more vividly. Impaired mobility during a bruise is different in that the broken limb cannot be moved due to bone damage, while the bruised limb cannot be moved due to severe swelling.
A fracture can be recognized by the fact that it becomes impossible to move the injured organ due to severe pain, which can radiate to nearby tissues due to damage to the nerve endings. If a leg is broken, it can hurt even when the victim does not try to move it, because bone fragments put pressure on the internal tissues. A reflex muscle contraction occurs, aimed at returning the bone to its physiological position, but since this is unrealistic, the pain becomes more pronounced.
Bruising appears both during a bruise and during a fracture, however, when the bones are damaged, it looks brighter, this is due to the fact that during a fracture the vessels are more damaged. A fracture can be recognized by the blue color of the injured area, whereas with a bruise it is red. When a femur is fractured, there are certain differences - bruising may not appear immediately because the femur is covered with a large layer of muscle.
Having hit a finger on the hand or another part of the body, everyone hopes to avoid serious injury, but to make sure that the injury is minor, you need to figure out what exactly happened - a bruise or a broken finger. The type of damage can be determined by using an axial load on the injured area. To do this, you should squeeze your hand forcefully or try to stand on your injured leg, but you need to do this very carefully. If a bone fracture occurs, the pain will be so severe that the victim will not be able to perform these actions.
In this case, the person should lie down, elevate the injured part of the body with a bolster, apply a cold compress to the injury site and take a painkiller, such as analgin or paracetamol, and apply a splint to the injury area. After providing first aid, you should go to the emergency room or call an ambulance.
Massaging the affected area is strictly prohibited, as is warming up the damaged area. These actions can lead to displacement of bone fragments, rupture of tissue and skin, severe hematoma and inflammation.
To prescribe effective treatment, it is necessary to find out what kind of injury was received. And if the situation with an open injury is simply due to the fact that it does not look like a bruise, then diagnosing a closed fracture is a little more difficult. Still, the symptoms vary slightly, which helps to understand how to identify a fracture in a leg or other part of the body. Below are the main differences:
In cases where you cannot independently diagnose the type of damage, you should wait for the ambulance to arrive and leave this matter to the doctors.
It is difficult to meet a person who has never bruised a toe. The risk of injury increases significantly in the warm season, and especially in summer. Open shoes leave your feet without additional protection and you can get injured much more often.
After a toe injury occurs, you need to understand what medical care should be provided.
If there is a fracture, you should immediately go to the hospital, but many can cope with a bruise on their own at home.
You should know the main signs of a fracture in order to navigate in time and provide the necessary assistance:
If such symptoms are present, hospitalization in a hospital and the provision of qualified medical care are necessary. In some cases, symptoms may be only partially present, but in any case, consultation with an experienced traumatologist and an x-ray examination (photo of the injury) will clarify the situation.
After an injury has occurred, you should definitely examine the injured area and make sure that it is not a fracture.
During a bruise, the soft tissues of the finger are injured, and a hematoma and swelling also occurs quite quickly.
In this case, the pain sensations will only be very acute at the very beginning, gradually they become moderate and the pain becomes rather unpleasant, but not so strong. In addition, after a bruise, the mobility of the finger is preserved.
If the bruise was very severe, moving your finger will be quite painful, but still possible. The nail plate of the finger itself may also be damaged.
In some cases it turns blue or even black. This symptom does not appear immediately after injury, but only a few days later.
A bruised big toe is considered the most problematic, since after the injury a person begins to experience discomfort when walking, it is very difficult for him to maintain balance and the ability to move fully and freely.
First medical aid should be provided in any case to prevent deterioration of health.
It may seem that there is nothing complicated in treating a bruised finger and this is a trifle, but if you ignore it, the consequences can be much more serious.
If it is not possible to contact a specialist, then all the correct treatment measures should be carried out independently at home. You should very carefully and carefully examine the site of the bruise or suspected fracture.
If there are concerns that this is a fracture, you should definitely go for a consultation with a doctor and not aggravate the current situation. Another effective and fairly simple tip is to apply cold to the bruise. This should be done as soon as possible after the injury occurs.
Both ice and other frozen food from the freezer are suitable for this purpose. Cold will help quickly relieve pain and make you feel better; also, possible swelling and hematoma will not develop quickly and rapidly.
Cold should be applied at short intervals until there is improvement. If there is no ice or something frozen, you should simply place your foot in cold water. Experts warn that applying heat to the site of a bruise is strictly prohibited.
Also, after the examination, you should definitely disinfect the bruised finger. Hydrogen peroxide is usually used for this. You should not use iodine, because it has a thermal effect on the site of the injury, and this is unacceptable.
Applying a bandage or dressing is allowed only if there is complete confidence that it is a bruise and not a fracture. It is also not allowed to apply a tight bandage. The bandage should simply prevent the injured finger from moving so that everything turns out exactly as the neighboring finger should be bandaged.
Quite often, both the finger and the nail are injured; in this case, it is necessary to use a disinfectant patch; it will prevent the occurrence of purulent inflammation.
Quite often, injury to the toe, and most often the big toe, can occur in the country or in another place.
In this case, there is a need to use effective folk remedies.
Indeed, there are very good recipes that are in no way inferior in effectiveness to expensive pharmaceutical products.
So, how to treat a bruise at home:
Such simple recipes will help you effectively cope with the first signs of a bruised toe. It should be remembered that neglecting such rules can cost much more.
If the bruise is very severe, then you simply cannot do without medication, because the pain will get worse and worse. First, you should take an x-ray to determine the severity of the injury.
After making a diagnosis, the specialist prescribes special anti-inflammatory drugs that will also help relieve pain.
Physiotherapeutic procedures are required in the treatment of severe bruises. This helps eliminate bruises, large hematomas and speed up the healing process. All procedures must be prescribed only by a doctor.
Surgical intervention is used in extreme cases, only if it is necessary to remove purulent inflammation, which has already become a consequence of improper initial treatment.
Bruises and hematomas are a common occurrence with bruised toes. Minor bruises will go away if you immediately apply ice or will resolve on their own.
Physiotherapeutic procedures will help remove large hematomas. In extreme cases, only surgical intervention is used.
If all treatment was prescribed on time and correctly, and medical care was provided in a qualified manner, then it will take only two weeks for a finger to heal after a mild bruise, but a more serious injury may bother you for a month.
Injuries to the thumb and little finger are considered severe. In this case, pain occurs periodically for almost two months. A bruised finger is a fairly serious problem that simply cannot be ignored.
Delayed medical care and negligent attitude towards one’s health can lead to serious consequences. You must follow the advice of specialists and seek help if you have the slightest doubt. In this case, the recovery process will be short and successful, and the bruise will no longer bother you.
To help the victim correctly, you need to know how to distinguish a fracture from a bruise. Having such knowledge can not only avoid the negative consequences of injury, but also help the patient recover faster. In order to distinguish between these two types of injuries, first of all, you need to understand their symptoms, and only then draw conclusions whether you are dealing with a bone deformation or a bruise. It is not worthwhile to carry out independent diagnosis and treatment; it is best to consult a doctor, since only a specialist can make the correct diagnosis and speed up the recovery process by prescribing the appropriate therapeutic technique.
Many people believe that it is unrealistic to get injured at home. But this is far from true. After all, it is in everyday life that people most often receive various injuries to the lower extremities.
Whatever the injury, regardless of whether it is a bruise or a bone deformity, you must always understand their differences in order to help yourself or the injured person when necessary.
Contusion of the lower limb
What is a bruise? When a bruise occurs, soft tissue is injured, but the functionality of the limbs remains intact. It is quite easy to get such an injury; children especially often suffer from bruises. Bruises and abrasions are their constant companions. The main signs of a bruise are:
But it is worth considering that bruises can have more serious consequences.
Most often, a bruise appears at the injured area. If you apply cold to it, the spread of swelling can be stopped. It is also necessary to monitor the well-being of the victim. If it is painful to bend the limb, then perhaps a crack has broken behind the bruise, in which case an urgent consultation with a traumatologist is necessary.
When a bruise occurs, it is often not the entire limb that is damaged, but a specific area of it. If, in addition to swelling, abrasions and bruising, it is possible to consider bone deformation and the leg cannot be bent, then most likely the problem is much more serious than soft tissue damage and the patient needs hospitalization. To determine whether it is a dislocation, a sprain, a defect in a bone joint or a bruise, a doctor’s examination and an x-ray of the injured limb are necessary. In case of a bruise, it is enough to apply a cold compress to the site of injury and subsequently treat it with anti-edematous and anti-inflammatory ointment until complete recovery.
To determine that you have a bruise or fracture, you need to examine the site of the injury, and if, in addition to abrasions and bruises, there is pain when bending or visible deformation of bone joints, then the victim must be taken to a traumatology department.
A fracture is a complete or partial injury to a bone joint. Fractures can be either closed or open. In the case of a closed fracture, only the bone is damaged, the soft tissue remains intact. With an open fracture, the bone and soft tissue are damaged, and a wound surface appears with bone fragments protruding from it.
Closed-type bone deformities are very often confused with bruises and therefore they are in no hurry to consult a traumatologist. But you still need to know that bone deformation has the following symptoms, which have many differences from a bruised injury. Symptoms of a fracture include:
It is possible to understand what actually happened to the bone only after an x-ray.
Trauma to the lower extremities is a fairly serious illness that can deprive the leg of its functionality for several weeks or months. Treatment for the fracture will be prescribed depending on the severity of the damage.
Despite the fact that these two injuries have similar symptoms, their differences are still obvious. And to make sure exactly what you are facing, it is best to consult a doctor.