A Bone Bruise is often the stage before a fracture. Any bone in the body can become bruised. People frequently report bone bruises in the knee, wrist, heel bone, foot, ankle, and hip. They often follow a single traumatic event, such as a sports injury, fall, car accident, or strike from a person or object. Twisting injuries can cause both joint sprains and bone bruising.
In the area around the bone bruise, symptoms may include:
- swelling
- pain or tenderness that continues after a skin bruise has disappeared
- a change of skin color
- joint pain near the impact zone
- joint inflammation
- joint stiffness
Physical Therapists are some of the best healthcare professionals to treat a bone bruise. The modalities, hands-on techniques and exercise prescription that can be utilized by the Physical Therapist can help speed up the healing process. Unfortunately, it is not uncommon for the healing time of a bone bruise to be measured in months instead of days or weeks. The treatment for these injuries is addressed best in Physical Therapy and initially, the goal is to reduce the acute symptoms with the final goal of returning to pre-injury status.
You may see a physical therapist who will guide you through appropriate exercises at each stage of healing. Range of motion exercises are typically employed first to decrease stiffness and improve mobility. Strengthening exercises are prescribed when the injured bone has sufficient strength to withstand resistance. Gait training — to help you walk and stand properly — may also be included if your lower extremity is affected
Physical Therapists have a number of tools at his or her disposal to help you. Some of the treatment types that you could need include electrical stimulation, ice, and compression wraps. Soft tissue massage can often work well to help with the inflammation and swelling. Another option is Kinesio taping, which can help promote faster healing and remove all of the excess fluid from the area.
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