what are bruises?

[stubbs]

and what does your body need to repair a bruised area? i know that when you do weight training your body needs protein to repair those teeny weeny tears in the muscle (trying not to get too technical here!). does your body work in the same way to repair damage from say...conditioning drills? why do they colour? is it the blood collecting around the area?
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[mickey]

Hi stubbs,

A bruise is an injury to the tissues under the skin. Capillary damage accompanies this injury and since the skin is not broken, the blood then pools into the area. When a bruise occurs you must realize that the repair process begins immediately. So, you will see red then blue/green(oxygenation) to a gradual fading. The book "Prescription for Nutritional Healing" recommends multivitamins and anti oxidants like C and E and well as blood builders like vitamin D.

mickey

[Serpent]

And gentle massage to stimulate blood flow which hastens the healing process.

[blooming lotus]

sometimes though, that's just not feasible....i just came across some hong kong arnica recenty post train - ride from hell, swollen bruised feet ankles etc, then deciding o go for some resistence and bag work in lieu of regular cardio, form, stnce work. The boxing bags here are crazy, and on a light bag I busted my hand and have sever swelling and bruising. I'm sure it's not broken, but my understanding is that bruising is blood under the skin surface. A good jow ( available at www.martialartsmart.com) or arnica will carry the blood from the surface area, promote circulation and increase recovery time. My own hand injury was days ago, and I probably coldn't throw a right, but It has deffinately helped alot. ps...if swollen on top, try something cooling, like camphor or menthol etc

[Serpent]

A good jow or arnica will certainly help if you can get them. Massage also stimulates the blood flow, which is why massaging in jow or arnica is double plus good beneficial.

Bruises aren't blood under the skin as such, but broken blood vessels with blood pooling in the subcutaneous tissue and epidermis, and possibly right down to the sheath over the bone. There's many types of bruises, although they all present and can be treated similarly.

As for swelling, that's the body's reaction, inflaming the area to protect it from further injury. If your bruise has swelling, ice it for the first 24 hours to reduce inflammation, then use heat after that which also helps to stimulate the blood flow which will promote healing and carry away the edema.

You can also use something like ibuprofen or a herbal equivalent to reduce inflammation.