View Full Version : Bone Bruise
waywardfool
09-29-2009, 14:17
Wiped out on my mtn bike Saturday a week ago. Impacted head, shoulder, hip, and knee on right side. Everything was getting better except knee pain (and it's my bad knee anyway), so finally went to doc yesterday (8 days post-accident). Pain just below the kneecap, in the bone. Wanted to get pics and make sure it wasn't cracked or chipped. Turns out to be a severe bone bruise. Anybody done this before? How long 'til you got back to 'normal'? The internet says a few weeks to a few months for healing.
Oh, wear a helmet...I did, and I know it saved my bacon. It took a good wallop, and I saw stars and birdies for a bit. :(
Wow, sounds like quite a tumble. Glad you identified the pain and are on the way to recovery. I Google'd bone bruise and came up with plenty of information.
Among the more interesting was this tidbit listd as an "additional" treatment option:
Take Bromelain – 250-750mg: The substance contains protein-digesting enzymes typically found in pineapple plants to reduce swelling, inflammation, and pain.
Who knew?
Wow, sounds like quite a tumble. Glad you identified the pain and are on the way to recovery. I Google'd bone bruise and came up with plenty of information.
Among the more interesting was this tidbit listd as an "additional" treatment option:
Take Bromelain – 250-750mg: The substance contains protein-digesting enzymes typically found in pineapple plants to reduce swelling, inflammation, and pain.
Who knew?
Here's another page listing more information, possible side effects, and possible drug/herb interactions. http://altmedicine.about.com/cs/herbsvitaminsa1/a/Bromelain.htm
Always use your own good judgment and consult your doctor before considering taking this substance.
Good luck!
flyingturtle
09-29-2009, 14:50
Traumatic patellar tendonitis...that's the official name for it I believe...and that's why I ended up going home in Vermont. The doc told me a torn ACL, I didn't know any better, I just know it hurt like the dickens. If I had known it was just a bruised kneecap, I would have keep going!
A few weeks to a month or two is about right...I think it took me about a month and a half for it to completely stop hurting.
waywardfool
09-29-2009, 20:21
Wow, sounds like quite a tumble.
Didn't really tumble. GPS said I was doing 18mph at the time. Crank got hung up on a mound of dirt, I pretty much just got slammed down to the ground...didn't roll, tumble, flip, flop, or slide. Went from 18 to 0 in three feet.
Take Bromelain – 250-750mg: The substance contains protein-digesting enzymes typically found in pineapple plants
Mmmmm, pineapple. Thanks, I'll look that up.
Kerosene
09-30-2009, 10:41
I'd concur with two months to full recovery, assuming you're younger than 35. I've had bone bruises on my heel (playing soccer on hard baked fields using studs instead of turf shoes) and it took about that long. Just give it a rest and don't bang it again.
And don't poke at it to see how it is doing. Or to show someone where it is located. (Yes, we are swift here.)
waywardfool
09-30-2009, 16:37
I'd concur with two months to full recovery, assuming you're younger than 35.
46...you'd think I'd learn by now. :)
At 45 got hit by a car. broke car, bruised bone at elbow. I didn't know you could do that. Took about six months to heal.
Blissful
10-01-2009, 00:19
I freeze styrofoam cups of water to do an ice massage.
mkmangold
10-01-2009, 00:54
46...you'd think I'd learn by now. :)
46 and on a mountain bike? I don't know whether to scold you for your foolishness or praise you for your bravery!
Bromelain is ok: it is anti-inflammatory and helps collagen realign itself. Ask your doc about Limbrel which is a pain medication/anti-inflammatory based on plant derivatives. Very natural; very safe; very effective.
Of course you could always take Aleve. Just remember: when it was prescription strength, it came in 500, 550, and 750 mg formulations. Over-the-counter is just 220 mg or a "homeopathic dose."
Kerosene
10-01-2009, 10:13
46...you'd think I'd learn by now. :)When I tore my MCL (at age 49 playing soccer with the young bucks), the ortho said it would take 4 weeks if I was 18, but at my age it will be 4 months. I was back on the field in 3.5 months, but it didn't feel healed until 5 months. I wouldn't be surprised if your bruise took a month or two longer to heal and get back out on your mountain bike (I still use mine!).
modiyooch
10-01-2009, 10:23
I freeze styrofoam cups of water to do an ice massage.Thanks for the tip. I've been using cheap frozen veggies.
Kerosene
10-01-2009, 12:30
I freeze styrofoam cups of water to do an ice massage.You fill the cup partway with water, let it freeze, and then peel away the excess styrofoam so you can apply the top of the big ice cube to your skin. No more than 20 minutes for a session, but I think you'll find that your skin can only take a few minutes at a time anyway.
Blissful
10-01-2009, 15:51
You fill the cup partway with water, let it freeze, and then peel away the excess styrofoam so you can apply the top of the big ice cube to your skin. No more than 20 minutes for a session, but I think you'll find that your skin can only take a few minutes at a time anyway.
Right. Keep moving it though in a circular motion around the area (hence the massage). Not just concentrated on the one spot or you can get frostbite. It really works to keep the swelling down and promote healing. All my sports books say it.
I'm doing it now for another ankle sprain.
Trailweaver
10-01-2009, 23:13
OOPS! Sorry for your injury. Thanks for the plug about wearing helmets. I used to work in the ER. . . you wouldn't believe what people look like when they crash without helmets. And most of them don't recover. I cringe when I see parents allowing children to ride in the street without helmets - and GA has a helmet law!
waywardfool
10-01-2009, 23:33
OOPS! Sorry for your injury. Thanks for the plug about wearing helmets. I used to work in the ER. . . you wouldn't believe what people look like when they crash without helmets. And most of them don't recover. I cringe when I see parents allowing children to ride in the street without helmets - and GA has a helmet law!
I'm hard-headed (just ask my wife). But I ALWAYS wear a helmet on a bike. Had a funny conversation when I finally went to the doc last Monday (8 days after wipe-out).
Me: [Described the mechanics of injury, and all the parts that were hurt/bruised.]
Lady Doc: Well, what did they tell you at the ER?
Me: ER? Ummm, I didn't go to the ER.
Lady Doc: Urgent care, then, what did they do?
Me: Urgent care...ummmm, didn't go there either....
Lady Doc: I see...
Me: I figure, I probably didn't have a concussion. Everything mostly worked, so nothing broken. I got better every day, except for the knee, so here I am.
Lady Doc: You're hard-headed, too.
I've always figured the ER is for stuff like unconscious people, arterial bleeding that pressure won't stop after an hour or so. Cuts that superglue won't fix. The kind of things that'll kill you. Not a skint knee. Maybe I am hard-headed.
Kerosene
10-02-2009, 13:20
I've always figured the ER is for stuff like unconscious people, arterial bleeding that pressure won't stop after an hour or so. Cuts that superglue won't fix. The kind of things that'll kill you.At some point, most athletes get to know their body pretty well, and only seek help when something isn't improving. There's a risk to that approach, but there's some risk just visiting the hospital.
I remember dislocating my pinkie just after midnight playing goalie. I knew it wasn't life-threatening, and I really didn't want to sit in the ER for a few hours, so I waited until the next morning. It was actually tough to convince myself to go in, knowing that it was probably going to hurt, and the attending reinforced the message when she said this was going to hurt a lot since I had waited so long. Of course, it didn't hurt at all.
Another time I had a player run me down and fall flat on my upper arm while my palm as supporting my fall, torquing the hell out of my arm. I eventually went to the doc to discover I had broken a small bone, which in and of itself wasn't very serious except that the ulnae nerve was adjacent and I could've developed real problems with my grip.
To me, life is all about managing risk while enjoying your existence. I won't be doing any mountain climbing, but I will keep pushing myself to 'get out there' and intelligently push my limits.
I crashed my scooter and got a bone bruise on my shin. It didn't seem to affect me much, but it left a mark that lasted months before it finally faded.