4 Things You Need to Know About Muscle Contusions

What is a Muscle Contusion?

Muscle contusions occur when the tissue ruptures, causing capillaries to bleed into the surrounding muscle. Then, a hematoma (a collection of blood) forms, leading to inflammation in the following days.

 

How do I know I have one?

Typically, muscle contusions present alongside other injuries, including broken bones. Visual signs include bruising, redness and swelling, accompanied by pain and a limited range of motion.

 

How Can I Treat a Contusion?

Some doctors disagree as to proper treatment. Typically, anti-inflammatory drugs will work to reduce swelling and pain. However, this only works to control symptoms, not the underlying issue.

Other forms of treatment, including icing and early movement, will help to heal the contusion. Immediately following the injury, patients should ice the affected area to control swelling and pain. Furthermore, moderate movement will help to avoid muscle scarring, rebuilding muscle as opposed to replacing it with useless tissue.

 

How Serious can a Contusion Get?

With improper treatment, contusions can lead to muscle scarring, which will severely limit the use of that muscle. In rare cases, patients experience moysitis ossificans, wherein bone tissue forms in place of the muscle. This alien tissue can be removed, but patients typically have to wait at least a year, in order to avoid recurrence.