Muscle Contusion

A muscle contusion refers to the soreness that appears on a muscle that has been hit. Besides pain, the affected area can also present signs of stiffness, swelling and bruising. 

This is a very common kind of injury in athletes, especially in football players. However, anyone who practices sports or other physical activities can have a muscle contusion.

Depending on the intensity of the injury, the contusion can be in a mild, moderate or severe degree. There could even be a limitation of movement in the affected area that will be higher if the injury is in a more severe degree. Likewise, the affected muscle can lose strength and also joint movement can be limited.

Usually, muscle contusions only last for a few days until they are recovered. However, if the affected area is hurt again, the recovery process could become more difficult and take longer. More severe contusions take on average from four to six weeks to heal completely.

How to Treat

• To treat a muscle contusion a quick method to alleviate some temporary symptoms is applying ice to the affected area. Doing this will reduce the swelling and calm the soreness.
• Muscle pain relief gel can also help reduce the sensation of soreness.
• Some exercises and stretching could help with the recovery process. You must be guided by an expert on what exercises to follow to not worsen the injury.
• Finally, moderate rest will also help the injury heal. As you recover, it is advised that you gradually go back to using the affected muscle as normal. 
• Compress the muscle by wrapping the hurt area in a bandage.
• Another technique to help the recovery process is elevating the affected body part above the heart.
• In some cases, physiotherapy might be recommended. Different methods could be applied, for example, through ultrasound therapy. Physiotherapy is a common alternative to help heal the injury faster.

A characteristic symptom of muscle contusion is bruising hence when there is a bone contusion as a consequence of the hit. In the same way, after the hit, a pool of blood could collect in the affected tissue forming what is known as a hematoma. These symptoms will go away with time and it should not take too long if the mentioned recommendations are taken into consideration and applied.

The most important factor to take into account for the recovery process is being patient and careful. Remember that stressing or applying pressure to the hurt tissue will make the recovery process longer and more difficult. As soon as the doctor notices improvement, you might be advised to follow more intense exercises to help strengthen the damaged tissue.

Orthopedic Corner | Leon Mead MD Orthopedic Doctor | 730 Goodlette Road North, Suite 201  Naples Florida 34102 | Phone: (239) 262-1119