#cardioflextherapy

By: Terry Abrams

A bone bruise is often the stage before a fracture. Any bone in the body can become bruised. People frequently report bone bruises in the knee, wrist, heel bone, foot, ankle, and hip.​​ They often follow a single traumatic event, such as a sports injury, fall, car accident, or strike from a person or object. Twisting injuries can cause both joint sprains and bone bruising. A bone bruise is often the stage before a fracture. Bone marrow edema is now usually referred to as “bone bruise” to reflect the traumatic nature of the condition. A bone bruise is sometimes called bone contusion. Symptoms include:

In the area around the bone bruise, symptoms may include:

Swelling

Pain or tenderness that continues after a skin bruise has disappeared

Change of skin color

Joint pain near the impact zone

Joint inflammation

Joint stiffness    

The following can cause bone marrow changes in a bone bruise:

Increased blood pooling: Widened blood vessels stagnate the blood flow, which leads to severe inflammation. The fluid within the bone: With muscle injuries, fluid collects in the muscles and makes them swell. This is known as edema. Bones are unable to swell, as they are hard. Instead, fluid in the bones creates pressure, leading to pain. Reactive hyperemia: This happens when blood flow increases after a temporary interruption. Fracture: There may be a small fracture in the layer of bone just below the joint cartilage. Trabeculae are the network of supporting fibrous tissues in a bone. A complete fracture of a bone means that all of the bone trabeculae in that particular area of the bone are damaged, which causes a break.

The good news is Physical Therapists at CardioFlex Therapy are some of the best healthcare professionals to treat a bone bruise. The modalities, hands-on techniques and exercise prescription that can be utilized by the Physical Therapist can help speed up the healing process. Unfortunately, it is not uncommon for the healing time of a bone bruise to be measured in months instead of days or weeks. The treatment for these injuries is addressed best in Physical Therapy and initially, the goal is to reduce the acute symptoms with the final goal of returning to pre-injury status.

Physical Therapists have a number of tools at his or her disposal to help you. Some of the treatment types that you could need include electrical stimulation, ice, and compression wraps. Soft tissue massage can often work well to help with the inflammation and swelling. Another option is taping, which can help promote faster healing and remove all of the excess fluid from the area.

For more info visit: www.cardioflextherapy.com

About the Author

Terry Abrams is the President & Director of Physical Therapy for CardioFlex Therapy, a start-up company founded in 2005 in Fort Lauderdale, FL. Delivering both Physical Therapy & Occupational Therapy, CardioFlex Therapy’s Outpatient Clinic is centrally located in Davie, FL serving the towns of Cooper City, Weston, Pembroke Pines, Plantation, Southwest Ranches, Hollywood, Miramar, Sunrise, & Fort Lauderdale. For Home Physical Therapy, CardioFlex sends its therapists to homes located in Broward, Dade, & Palm Beach counties.