Self-Care for Bruises

Have a recent bruise? Ouch! We have been through the pain of bruises, too!  We are not doctors, just athletes giving advice on what has worked for us in the past.  Here are some of our suggestions:

First, if you can, put ice in a zip-lock plastic bag, seal it, place a towel over the bruise, then lay the ice on the bruise with the ice touching as much of the effected area as possible.  Elevate the area above your heart (if you can) and leave the ice on for about 10 minutes.  Don't put the ice bag directly on the skin. Let the area warm up again, then more ice for 10 minutes.  If you are at a tournament, away from home, and what is available is the instant ice packs from a first-aide kit, these work great, and sometimes don't need anything between them and the skin.

Next, take some Homeopathic Arnica, which is for bruising or over exertion. 4 tablets under your tongue.  Take 4 tablets every 20 minutes for 2 hours, then back off to 4 tablets every hour, then 4 tablets every 4 hours.

Also, apply Homeopathic Arnica salve.  There are many brands, we tend to use Hylaands brand, then Traumeel.

If you believe your bone was also bruised, we would also suggest using Homeopathic Symphytum which is for bone healing.

After 24 hours you can also heat it, then ice it.  Start and end with ice. You could ice the area, take a shower or bath, then ice again, for example.

After 48 hours you can start doing ice massage.  For ice massage, place a towel under your leg/arm, rub a big piece of ice directly on the skin of the effected area with a 3 inch radius around the area. Use a 2nd towel to blot up the drips of water melting off the ice.

Once the skin is red, put the ice aside, pat the area dry, and use a bit of arnica salve, oil or lotion to massage towards the heart.  Use slow, medium pressure strokes.  Try to massage the most tender area first. Use enough pressure to break edema up, yet not enough to cause any more pain or bruising. This takes some practice.  Best to use caution, so if you think you may be causing more pain, use less pressure!

Once the skin is warm again, stop your massage.

Rest is crucial.  Depending on how deep and severe your bruise is, without rest, it can cause permanent damage.

A broken bone does not hurt as much as a sprain or some deep bruises, so if you don't get better soon, go see your doctor!