Question about bruising! YAY bruises!

[bigtrubs]

Hey folks, normally I get really excited when I get a gnarly bruise, cause I often hurt myself and get nothing to show for it, but this one has me perplexed...

Anyway, about 3 weeks ago I took a tumble headfirst off a double in the Fraggle Rock area and, while falling, I whacked my right tricep on either a tree or rock (either way whatever I hit was hard and brown because it left marks all over my jacket.)

The resulting bruise was huge, covering the whole back of my upper arm and it has since run its course of purple, to blue, to green, to yellow, to normal. It did, however, leave some (like 5 or so) weird little lumpy things behind that I can feel on the muscle below the surface of my skin. I'm just curious if you folks know what they would be and if it is something that goes away with time! I'm not all that worried, just interested to know what's up!

And hey, if you have pics of sweet bruises you'd care to share, give'er! You should have seen my mom's bruises after she was in a heli crash a number of years ago!

[Vinman]

Those bumpy things are prolly just some left over pockets of congealed blood.
Not much to worry about. The body will eventually take care of them.

The other possibility is you may have caused some small herniations in the fascia (covering of the muscle). Again nothing to worry about.

If they don't go away, get worse or become painful have your doc take a look at them.

[bigtrubs]

Sweet, thanks for the response!

[shirk]

A friend of mine fell on her ass mtn biking landed butt cheek to rock. The bruise covered her whole cheek, really nasty looking one. Anyway once the bruise went she was left with a lump just smaller than a ping pong ball. She still has it a couple years later. Her boyfriend named it, I don't recall what. I think it got him cut off from the lovins for naming it.

Hope your post bruise bumps go away. If not give'em some good names.

[girlfriday1080]

The lump is a build up of calcium from the injury. Start massaging the area everyday. It'll hurt like hell, but if you don't then you'll permenantly have that lump there and it'll hurt like hell when you hit it on anything. After about a month of massaging the calcium will breakdown and you'll be good to go.
good luck.

[bigtrubs]

Yeah, I'll call them dopey, mopey, sleepy and doc.

[powder11]

Ive got a huge bruise on my arse as well. its migrating to my thigh and hurts like hell. is there any chance of myositis ossificans? Id hate to end up like Cam Neely...

[Vinman]

No very likely Toby. Myositis Ossificans usually happens with repeated contusions to the same area or a very very severe contusion.

But there are some things you can do to help prevent it if you are worried.

1. Stretch
2. Compress the area. Maybe something like bike shorts or plain lycra for a few days would help the swelling.
3. Once the stitches are out, hot tub/warm bath soaks and more streching.

And don't worry about the bruising migrating south, that si just gravity pulling the left over blood downhill.

[powder11]

No very likely Toby. Myositis Ossificans usually happens with repeated contusions to the same area or a very very severe contusion.

But there are some things you can do to help prevent it if you are worried.

1. Stretch
2. Compress the area. Maybe something like bike shorts or plain lycra for a few days would help the swelling.
3. Once the stitches are out, hot tub/warm bath soaks and more streching.

And don't worry about the bruising migrating south, that si just gravity pulling the left over blood downhill.

it was funny, the doc said your butt is probably the best place to have an impact injury... I gave him a look and he corrected himself stating things could have been much worse if I had hit the rock somewhere else. Im icing, compressing and stretching like mad. I felt much better this am. another bullet dodged.

[Snowmiser]

I'm hoping that somebody here (possibly Vinmann who seems exceptionally knowledgeable on this subject) can help me. In June I suddenly could not straighten out my left arm. It was stuck at a 90 degree angle. I noticed in the morning that if felt like a bad bruise and by evening it was hurting and getting very stiff. After 2 days, I went to my primary physician who sent me for and ultra-sound. Nothing showed up so he sent me to a vascular doc. All good there too. He sent me to an orthopedic doc who ordered an MRI and then early the next day I was told to make an appt. with a orthopedic oncologist. (A little scared would be an understatement). The MRI showed a pretty scary growth near my inner arm just above the elbow. The doc told me it was bone which is can be an indication of a deep tissue sarcoma. He wasn't convinced though so he made me wait 3 weeks to see what happend. He had me using a milk jug filled with water to try to let gravity straighten the arm gradually in the meantime. It hurt like hell, but it worked. I went back to the doc, and he said that he felt that what I had was the beginning of Myositis ossificans, but it looked like my body had absorbed the bone and I should be fine. Well, my arm now has a little hard bump further up on my bicep and I still don't have all of the feeling in my hand. The arm also gets sharp pains now and then. My question is..(I know,Im sorry this is so long), am I obsessing or should I go back to the orthopedic oncologist for a re-check?

Thanks!

[Vinman]

If you do have myositis ossificans that could explain the bump and the occasional sharp pain. but since they were concerned about a sarcoma I would go for another check if only for peace of mind?

If they clear you of cancer and still feel that you have some calcification in the muscle ask to go to therapy for some iontophoresis with acetic acid. Acetic acid applied this way call help break up ectopic calcifications like those.

At my clinic we did a small sample size study with calcific tendonitis in the shoulder. 6 patients had large calcification in their Ant. shoulder. they got acetic acid ionto 3 x3 weeks witj pulsed ultrasound with follow ups at 1 month and 3 months. X-rays were repeated at ~4-6 months. 4 had no trace of calcification, 1 had significant reduction (almost not visible but small calcific body present) and 1 had no change. The one that had no change lifts heavy steel plates at a manufacturing job for 8 hrs a day. We are submitting this case study for publication.

Anyway thats my $.02

[Snowmiser]

Thanks a lot for your advice Vinman! I really appreciate it. I read about this therapy back in June when I was first told that it was MO. The lump was lower on the arm then and the elbow area was isolated during the MRI. Now the bump is smaller, but higher up on the arm. I will make another appointment just to ease my mind, like you said.

Sounds crazy, but the only repeated trauma that I can think of happening to my arm, was carrying my baby in the car seat carrier and placing the handle in the crook of my arm. But over time, 20+ pounds there can do some damage!

Thanks again!!!!!

*Think Snow*

~Ane~