Commonly called bruises, contusions develop when small blood vessels under the skin break or rupture. This is usually as a result of direct blow to the skin. The leaked blood to the tissues will turn the injured area into purplish black, reddish blue or yellow green. As it heals, it will turn light brownish to yellowish until it disappears completely. Generally, a bruise on the leg will take a longer time to heal than a bruise on the face or arms, probably due to gravity.
Interestingly, women have more tendencies to bruise than men, especially from minor injuries on the upper arms, thighs and buttocks. Getting easily bruised may sometimes be inherited. Moreover, as people age into their older years, they can bruise easily due to the skin becoming less flexible and thinner due to the decreased fat under the skin. This will make the blood vessels more susceptible to break.
Classification of Contusion
Soft tissue trauma is classified three ways:
- Subcutaneous
- Most common bruises
- Bruising beneath the skin
- Intramuscular
- Deep bruises
- Bruising within a muscle frequently formed in the belly of underlying muscles
- Periosteal
- Bruising to the bone
- Often requires medical help
- Painful and may take a few months to heal
Cause of Contusion
When a direct blow to the skin occurs, it causes damage to the blood vessels, thus leaking blood into the tissues causing its black and blue color. Bruises are very common that sometimes, the exact cause of the bruising is not remembered. Some of the more common causes:
- Limbs bumping an object, though visible, was not seen by the eye
- Sports injuries, especially those involving impact or collision
- Car accidents
- Falls
Harm Scale of Contusion
Severity of bruises is determined by extent and intensity of the fractures to the organs and tissues leading to bruising. The harm scale determines the severity and medical consequences of the contusion, rated from zero to five.
- Harm score 0
- Light bruise with no damage
- Harm score 1
- Less than moderate bruise with little damage
- Harm score 2
- Moderate bruise with some damage
- Harm score 3
- Serious bruise, dangerous
- Harm score 4
- Extremely serious bruise, dangerous
- Harm score 5
- Critical bruise, life-threatening
Treatment for Contusion
A contusion will usually go away on its own, even without medical
treatment, usually within two to four weeks, depending on its harm level. Home treatment can ease the swelling and soreness and hasten healing. Home treatment can be given to contusions with levels zero to two. Otherwise, if greater than this, it should be brought to a medical practitioner. To treat light and moderate bruises, do the PRICE method:
- Protect the injured area from further damage by removing the injured from the activity.
- Rest the injured area.
- Ice the bruise using an ice pack or cold pack several times a day for at least 15 minutes.
- Compress the injured area.
- Elevate to limit swelling.
- If necessary, take pain killers to minimize pain.
Although it does not usually call for a medical emergency, bruising can also mean sprain or fracture injuries, especially if accompanies by severe pain and swelling. Enrolling in First Aid Courses will help educate the first aider how to recognize symptoms of contusions or bone injuries and in addition, will teach proper treatment to reduce discomfort from the casualty.