Sprains and bruises are cured in this way

When practicing sports, small accidents are the order of the day. Sprains and bruises are the most frequent types of injuries and knowing how to manage them is important to limit discomfort and get to recovery quickly.

Some injury from time to time, if you practice sports, must be taken into account. Fortunately, in most cases, these are not traumas or serious injuries, such as to require the intervention of the doctor or the use of the emergency room. However, it is good to learn to recognize the characteristics of the damage and evaluate the level of severity in order to intervene immediately and in the right way.

The sports most at risk

The practice of any sporting activity inevitably involves the risk of traumas of various kinds, the nature and consequences of which are linked to three main factors:

    • the mechanical stresses to which joints, ligaments and muscles are subjected
    • the degree of training, fundamental for the necessary robustness and resistance to exercise
    • the characteristics of the responsible impact of the harmful event.

We must not forget that, if it is true that a good part of traumas is due to unfortunate fatalities, a not negligible share is caused by the inexperience of the individual, often eager to quickly obtain a satisfactory physical shape or unaware of the limits of his body.

Especially after a period of inactivity, such as returning from summer holidays or resuming outdoor physical activity in spring after months of sedentary lifestyle, to avoid accidents you should provide a cautious training program, characterized by a gradual increase in muscle and joint effort.

This rule applies regardless of age and discipline. However, it is known that some types of physical activity involve a greater risk of bruises, sprains and wear trauma, especially on specific body districts.

Running, for example, mainly exposes to the risk of ankle sprain (as well as inflammation of the sole of the foot and at the level of the malleolus), similarly to football, which also endangers more than one knee ligament and exposes the whole leg, during direct interaction with other players, to a high probability of bruises.

The wrist and elbow (but also the knee and ankle) can be affected by sprains and inflammation of tendons and ligaments in tennis players, while those who dedicate themselves to volleyball or basketball can be subject to damage of various types (inflammation, dislocation, sprain, tendinitis) to the joints of the hand and fingers.

These same sports, along with weightlifting, disciplines that involve throwing (baseball, rugby, discus or javelin throwing, etc.) and artistic gymnastics or with tools, can cause shoulder pain even very intense (generally due to inflammation of the rotator cuff), as well as favor the dislocation of the joint following too pronounced rotation movements of the shoulder and arm (especially if under load) or clumsy falls, which move the head of the humerus from its natural housing, in the anterior recess of the scapula.

Listen to the video interview with our phytotherapy expert Antonello Sannia on how to treat hematomas and bruises naturally.

Aspects to consider from a prevention perspective

Regardless of their level of training and fitness, some people are more likely than others to experience sports injuries.

For example,ankle or knee sprain and shoulder dislocation are more frequent among those with basic joint instability due to constitutive ligament laxity or due to a previous laceration that is not perfectly compensated. Those over 45-50 years old and already have a certain degree of osteoarthritis, on the other hand, are more exposed to joint inflammation and tendinitis. All situations that also increase the risk of recurrence.

In any part of the body it occurs, pain of a certain intensity that appears during or after sports activity should always be considered an alarm bell. This is why it is not enough to sedate him, but it is necessary to identify the causes (possibly obtaining a precise diagnosis from the doctor) and impart a real education to the amateur sportsman, with a view to prevention.

In particular, anyone who is preparing to practice a sport should be supported by expert instructors who give indications on a personalized training program, on the execution of stretching exercises, on the adoption of a diet that allows you to maintain a suitable weight, on the choice of footwear appropriate to the type of activity and the terrain and that guarantee good support, etc.

The origin of trauma

The traumatic injury typical of bruises and sprains is caused by an imbalance between applied force and tissue resistance. In sports, most often the cause of trauma is:

  • a disproportionate and/or abruptly applied load
  • a more modest load, but repeated over time
  • a force of traction or compression that is excessive or oriented in an improper direction.

Injuries of the first type occur, for example, in situations in which you try to lift an excessive weight or suffer a violent blow, resulting respectively in muscle strains/tears, joint dislocations or bruises.

Traumi of the second type are called “wear” and lead, both during sports and during work, mostly to muscle and / or joint inflammation of a shoulder, an arm, an elbow, a wrist, a leg, a knee or a foot.

In the third case, similar but not entirely superimposable to the first, the injury causes muscle strains/tears, the laceration of a ligament (or a group of ligaments) or inflammation / injury of the tendons due not to a particularly strong blow or an “extreme” gesture, but to a modest force that becomes harmful because applied in a non-physiological way.

This is the case, for example, of ankle sprains resulting from a trivial crookedness, taken for lack of proper foot support for example while walking with shoes with a thin heel, which stresses the ligaments in an inadequate direction while the foot is in pronation (or more precisely, in hyper-pronation, ie bent laterally with the sole facing inwards).

In most cases, sports injuries are facilitated by the presence of poor athletic preparation, incorrect gestures or insufficient tone of the muscles that must direct movements and ensure joint stability. In some cases, the causes may include a weakening due to fatigue, the outcome of previous injuries or, simply, the presence of musculoskeletal structures that are not completely mature (in particular, in children and adolescents).

The contusion

The contusion is the effect of a mechanical impact that can leave the skin unscathed (if the latter is injured we speak instead of a torn-bruised wound) and that affects, instead, the blood vessels of the underlying tissues.

For this reason, the contusion is manifested by an extravasation of blood (hematoma) visible on the outside as “bruising” only if sufficiently superficial.

The hematoma, whose extension is linked to the characteristics of the trauma and the richness of the vascularization of the affected area, can affect the subcutaneous tissue or develop within a muscle or joint (in the latter case, it is called hemarthrosis).

Muscle hematomas and hemarthroses are generally very painful and represent a medical emergency that justifies the use of the emergency room.

Ice and absolute rest

Muscle contusion is more serious if it occurs during muscle contraction. Its treatment requires the immediate interruption of any movement of the muscle involved and the application of ice and a constrictive bandage, able to exert adequate compression on the muscle fibers and reduce the leakage of blood from the injured vessels. For a few days, absolute rest must also be respected.

When the contusion affects an ankle, knee, shoulder or elbow, the blood effusion can collect inside the joint, even over several hours. The result is a gradual increase in swelling and limitation of movement, both active and passive.

When it affects the tendons, the contusion usually causes tendinitis or tenosynovitis, such as that which typically occurs at the level of the instep due to the mechanical stress imposed by the ski boot, or that resulting from trauma to the wrist and the base of the thumb that occur when placing a hand on the ground to counteract a fall.

Even in these cases, the therapy is based on immediate rest, on the application of ice and containment bandages with elastic bands, wrapped not only on the joint but also on a good part of the affected limb. In the case of foot and ankle bruises, for example, the bandage must go up to mid-calf.

If it is not excessively voluminous, the hematoma resorbs slowly, but spontaneously. In any case, it may be useful to apply a preparation for local use based on natural active ingredients that facilitate its absorption.

Distortion

Sprain is a fairly frequent occurrence in sports. The classic type is that which concerns the ankle, following a fall, an incorrect position in the support of the foot or roughness of the ground.

The typical manifestation of the sprain is swelling of the joint, which tends to extend to the surrounding areas. The skin color may have one or more bluish-red patches if a hematoma has developed, but it may be pale.

The pain can be very intense, to the point that even the simple touch of the affected part triggers a strong exacerbation. In simple distortion this sensation is well localized and evoked by particular movements.

If the sprain was also accompanied by a subluxation (temporary displacement of the heads of the bones that form the joint from their natural housing) or by a lesion of the ligaments or tendons, the pain is also present at rest. In the case of a severe ankle sprain, it is often the anterior peroneal-astragalic ligament that is injured.

Above all immobility

The inflammation associated with the medium severity sprain begins to regress after 24-48 hours, but afundamental prerequisite of therapy is absolute rest, compliance with which can be facilitated by compression bandage or the use of a rigid brace.

In case of ankle sprain, often, people accustomed to a dynamic life try to start walking again without appropriate support, as soon as the pain subsides.

Underestimating the problem when the pain subsides leads to a rapid aggravation of the local picture and an inevitable prolongation of recovery time. On the contrary, the use of one or two crutches, for a few days or for 1-2 weeks in the most serious cases, may also be advisable in case of sprain, and not only fracture.

Except in the case of minor trauma that reaches spontaneous healing, sprains should always be managed with the help of the doctor and / or orthopedist and it is important to follow all their indications regarding the drugs to be used to control pain, the type of bandage or brace to be used, the timing of immobilization and gradual resumption of movement.

Generally, after a sprain of some importance, starting to use the joint again is painful and to do it correctly and physiologically, also to support the healing process, it is advisable to follow a cycle of physiotherapy. Massage can also be useful, but only when the inflammation and joint pain are gone.

Useful drugs

Both in case of sprain and in case of contusion, the most used drugs are non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), which act by removing pain and “turning off” inflammation.

The most useful, in these circumstances, are anti-inflammatory drugs for external use (topical NSAIDs), such as gels based on ibuprofen, ketoprofen or diclofenac, which guarantee a good level of local absorption with an almost zero risk of systemic side effects.

Some practical indications

After a small trauma, even apparently trivial, an accurate evaluation of the affected area and the symptomatology is always appropriate. Each case requires a meticulous reconstruction of what happened, since the knowledge of the dynamics of the trauma can guide the doctor in the diagnosis and, therefore, in the choice of the most appropriate treatment.

With the passing of the hours, the edema and possible ecchymosis can spread and the pain acquire a widespread character that makes it more difficult to identify its origin.

Of particular relevance must be considered the presence of some suspicious signs, such as tingling (which suggest a probable stretching and suffering of nerve fibers), alterations in the appearance of the skin, reduction or loss of muscle strength and reflex pain (ie localized in a distant location and not directly affected by the trauma).

Even the impossibility of obtaining relief with rest and the ineffectiveness of anti-inflammatory / analgesic drugs must be considered important alarm bells that must lead to contact (or return) to the doctor for a thorough evaluation and the execution of instrumental examinations, such as:

  • the X-ray, which allows to highlight a possible fracture
  • ultrasound, which detects, for example, the possible rupture of a tendon, meniscus or ligament.

Finally, only in selected cases the doctor can prescribe an MRI as a second level examination and / or in anticipation of surgery.

Natural aid

When the pain and bruising resulting from a sports injury or a small injury are not excessive, the affected part can be treated with preparations that can be purchased in pharmacies without a prescription, already specially formulated with extracts of natural products (such as arnica, escin, bromelain, menthol or devil’s clawto treat minor traumas and hematomas.

Joycelyn Elders is the author and creator of EmpowerEssence, a health and wellness blog. Elders is a respected public health advocate and pediatrician dedicated to promoting general health and well-being.

The blog covers a wide range of topics related to health and wellness, with articles organized into several categories.

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