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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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Suggest Treatment For Painful Swollen Bruise On Left Shin

My wife bruised her left shin badly, just above the ankle by falling off the treadmill 4 weeks ago. There was a huge swollen bump & large hematoma immediately (2 in diameter). The bruise was exactly on top of a previous bruise. Urgent Care recommended icing every couple of hours for two days & then leave it alone. The swelling went down over night & the hematoma has shrunk over time, but now it is about the size of a half-dollar with a hard, black scab. It has oozed a small amount of blood occasionally, but very little. The scab appears to be loosening around the edges, & there is some redness surrounding the hematoma, but it s not warm to the touch. Should we just leave it alone & let the scab eventually fall off? Any idea how long it takes? Thanks, Rod
posted on Thu, 14 May 2015
Twitter Sat, 24 Oct 2015 Answered on
Twitter Mon, 26 Oct 2015 Last reviewed on
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Dentist,  's  Response
Hi..
Welcome to HEALTHCARE MAGIC..

I have gone through your query and can understand your concerns..

As per your complain due to traumatic injury to the soft tissues has led to ruptured blood vessels and accumulation of blood in the soft tissues leaing to bruising and hematoma formation..
There is also accumulation of inflammatory exudate, damaged fibres,ruptured capillaries,and inflammatory cells and all of these leads to localization and encapsulation of the hematoma and it becomes a hard mass and the hard scab like structure seems due to it..
Nothing to worry, you can apply a heparin containing gel [like thrombophob] over the area for faster disruption and clearing of clot..
You should also apply an antibiotic ointment to prevent infection..
Do alternate warm and cold compresses and elevate the leg while lying down..

Hope this information helps..

Thanks and regards.
Dr.Honey Nandwani Arora.
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Suggest Treatment For Painful Swollen Bruise On Left Shin

Hi.. Welcome to HEALTHCARE MAGIC.. I have gone through your query and can understand your concerns.. As per your complain due to traumatic injury to the soft tissues has led to ruptured blood vessels and accumulation of blood in the soft tissues leaing to bruising and hematoma formation.. There is also accumulation of inflammatory exudate, damaged fibres,ruptured capillaries,and inflammatory cells and all of these leads to localization and encapsulation of the hematoma and it becomes a hard mass and the hard scab like structure seems due to it.. Nothing to worry, you can apply a heparin containing gel [like thrombophob] over the area for faster disruption and clearing of clot.. You should also apply an antibiotic ointment to prevent infection.. Do alternate warm and cold compresses and elevate the leg while lying down.. Hope this information helps.. Thanks and regards. Dr.Honey Nandwani Arora.