DealingwithBruises:TipsandTricks
Bruisesareacommonoccurrenceformostpeople,andtheyusuallygoawayontheirownwithinaweekortwo.However,sometimesabruisecanbemoresevereandpainful,anditmaytakelongertoheal.Bruisesarecausedbyavarietyoffactorssuchasinjuries,medications,andmedicalconditions.Inthisarticle,wewilldiscusssometipsandtrickstohelpyoudealwithbruisesmoreeffectively.
CausesofBruises
Bruisesarecausedbytheruptureofbloodvesselsbeneaththeskin.Whenthebloodvesselsbreak,bloodleaksintothesurroundingtissues,causingswellinganddiscoloration.Somecommoncausesofbruisesinclude:
- Physicalinjuriessuchasfalls,bumps,andblowstothebody.
- Medicationssuchasbloodthinnersoraspirin,whichcaninterferewiththebody'sabilitytoclotblood.
- Underlyingmedicalconditionssuchashemophiliaorleukemia,whichcanincreasetheriskofbleeding.
- Poornutrition,whichcanweakenbloodvesselsandmakethemmorepronetorupture.
TipsforHealingBruises
Ifyouhaveabruisethatispainfulorunsightly,thereareseveralthingsyoucandotospeedupthehealingprocess:
- Applyacoldcompress:Thiscanhelpreduceswellingandnumbtheareatoreducepain.Useacoldpackorabagoffrozenvegetableswrappedinatowel.Applyittothebruisedareafor20-30minutesatatime,severaltimesaday.
- Elevatetheaffectedarea:Ifpossible,elevatethebruisedareaabovethehearttohelpdecreasebloodflowandreduceswelling.
- Applyheatafter48hours:Afterthefirst48hours,switchtoawarmcompresstoincreasebloodflowtotheareaandpromotehealing.
- Massagethearea:Gentlymassagethebruisedareatohelpbreakupbloodclotsandpromotecirculation.
- Takeover-the-counterpainrelievers:Ifthebruiseispainful,youcantakeover-the-counterpainrelieverssuchasacetaminophenoribuprofentohelpreducediscomfort.
PreventativeMeasures
Whilebruisesareusuallynotserious,thereareseveralpreventativemeasuresyoucantaketoreduceyourriskofdevelopingthem:
- Wearprotectivegear:Ifyouengageinactivitiesthatmayresultininjuries,wearappropriateprotectivegearsuchashelmets,kneepads,andelbowpads.
- Eatahealthydiet:AdietrichinvitaminC,vitaminK,andproteincanhelpstrengthenbloodvesselsandpreventthemfromrupturingeasily.
- Avoidexcessivealcoholconsumption:Alcoholcanthinthebloodandincreasetheriskofbruising.
- Becautiouswithmedications:Ifyouaretakingmedicationsthatcaninterferewithbloodclotting,beextracarefultoavoidinjuriesthatcouldresultinbruises.
Inconclusion,bruisesareacommonoccurrence,buttheycanbemanagedeffectivelywiththerighttreatmentandpreventivemeasures.Ifyouhaveanyconcernsaboutabruiseorifitdoesnothealwithinafewweeks,seekmedicalattentiontoruleoutanyunderlyingmedicalconditions.
