Does Intake Of Ibuprofen Help In Treating Hematomas?

Posted on Wed, 31 Aug 2016

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Wed, 31 Aug 2016 Answered on

Thu, 29 Sep 2016 Last reviewed on

Question : Hi. When I visited my 78 year old mother last night, I noticed one of her elbows and part of her forearm was dark purple in color. It looked terrible. She said she bumped it but not that hard. She avoids doctors and has not been in years. I think she has circulation issues and swelling in her feet sometimes. She was also diagnosed with arthristis a number of years ago. She manages it with moving and ibuprofen.

Answered by Dr. Dr. Ivan Romich (36 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
she should get done some tests

Detailed Answer:
Hi and welcome to HCM.

It is not uncommon to observe hematomas and oedema in elderly people since their skin is very fragile and heart and kidneys diseases(underlying or even ongoing) may lead to legs swelling.

SO it is most important to prevent any injuries and do some tests to evaluate heart and kidney function (eg. Hemogram, Electrolytes, Coagulation profile, RFT, LFT, 12 lead EKG, Echocardiography etc.). Also, these purple areas may be sign of coagulation disorders.

Meanwhile keep the area elevated, apply cold compression, please don't take Ibuprofen beyond 3 days (Paracetamol 650 mg twice to thrice daily after food is a relatively safer option instead)..

Wish you good health.
Regards

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Arnab Banerjee