The most common injury is bruising. It can be obtained on the street, at work and even at home. A bruise is a soft tissue injury. Most often this happens without loss of integrity of the skin. A bruise is usually accompanied by severe pain, swelling. If the vessels are damaged, a hematoma appears. To prevent such consequences of this injury, it is necessary to begin treatment as soon as possible. In most cases, it can be done independently at home. Most often used for bruising compresses. They can be done both with drugs and with folk remedies. If you follow the rules for applying this method, you can quickly get rid of all the consequences of an injury.
Features of the treatment of bruises
Bruising is an injury resulting from a blow or fall. In this case, only soft tissues and subcutaneous tissue are damaged. The skin is usually only slightly affected. But often blood vessels rupture. Because of this, edema develops, a hematoma appears, pain. An inflammatory process may also occur, which will spread to nearby joints. But usually a bruise is accompanied by a bruise. In this case, it is considered a simple injury that can be treated independently at home.
First degree bruises without skin damage, muscle or tendon ruptures can heal in 3-5 days. After more complex tissue injuries, I will recover in 1-2 weeks. And bruises accompanied by fractures, dislocation or damage to internal organs should be treated only in a medical facility.
First Aid
Immediately after such an injury, ice should be applied to the sore spot. A cold compress for a bruise helps prevent the development of edema and hematoma, relieve pain. For this purpose, ice, a heating pad filled with cold water, a wet towel, or even any frozen product are applied. If the limb is injured, you can also apply a pressure bandage or use a special bandage. For severe pain, you can use anesthetic ointment or tablets. But such ointments can only be applied if there is no damage to the skin.
In addition, severe pain, rapid swelling and impaired mobility of the limb should be a reason to see a doctor. And in mild cases, such injuries are treated at home. On the first day, it is necessary to apply cold compresses and use cooling ointments.
What is a compress?
This is a medical procedure, which is applied to a sore spota piece of cloth soaked in a remedy. Compresses are used for injuries, joint pain, colds. Unlike lotion, the compress is kept for a longer time, often all night or even more. In addition, most of them involve the imposition of several layers on top of the medicine - a film, fabric, a warm scarf. This is done in order to create a greenhouse effect, which improves tissue blood supply and drug absorption.
The compress can also be any components that are wrapped in fabric and applied to the site of injury. It can be ice, plant leaves, ointment.
What are compresses for?
The main purpose of this procedure is to alleviate the patient's condition. Compresses are made to improve blood circulation and metabolic processes at the site of its application. This allows you to quickly relieve pain and swelling, prevent the appearance of a hematoma. And drugs, penetrating into the tissues, contribute to their faster healing. But doing compresses at home is possible only for minor injuries, without cracks in the bone, dislocations or serious damage to soft tissues.
Indications for the use of compresses for bruises are mild soreness, the appearance of hematomas and bruises, small abrasions on the skin. Proper selection of drugs helps to restore blood circulation in the area of injury and prevents the accumulation of blood in the subcutaneous tissue. Compresses after an injury relieve pain, eliminate redness and swelling, accelerate healingabrasions.
Rules of application
After a serious bruise, you should definitely consult a doctor to determine the consequences of the injury. This is especially important for head injuries. You can not independently apply compresses for a bruise, if severe swelling develops, skin color changes quickly, bursting pains are felt. This may indicate the development of an inflammatory process, in which warm compresses are contraindicated. Home compresses are also not used for head and abdominal injuries. In these cases, special treatment is needed. You should also consult a doctor if the pain does not go away within 5-7 days, the swelling increases or the mobility of the injured limb is impaired. Compresses for severe bruises are used only after consultation with a specialist and in conjunction with the means prescribed by him.
This treatment will only be effective if certain rules are followed:
- cold compress can be kept for 3-5 minutes, then you need to take a break to prevent frostbite;
- if there is an inflammatory process, you can not do warm compresses;
- in case of injury to the limb, you need to raise it up, this will help prevent the development of edema;
- Some drugs, such as iodine or Bodyaga, can only be applied if there is no damage.
Alcohol compresses for bruises
On the second day after the bruise, it is necessary to do warming compresses. Most foran alcohol base is suitable for this. Such compresses help to remove swelling, dissolve the hematoma, improve blood circulation. For this, you can take ordinary vodka or alcohol diluted with water 1: 3. Doctors recommend doing such compresses in the evening or at night, because you can’t go outside for several hours after removing them and you need to protect the damaged area from hypothermia.
Most often, doctors recommend doing alcohol compresses for bruised legs or arms. Vodka must be heated to body temperature. This must be done in a container of hot water, but not on fire. The cloth soaked in vodka is squeezed out a little and applied to the sore spot. A film is placed on top, a layer of cotton wool and insulated. You can keep the alcohol compress for no more than 4 hours. To enhance the effect of a vodka compress, you can use tinctures of various herbs.
Saline compress
For bruises, doctors often recommend saline dressings. A feature of such compresses is that they are able to draw fluid from the tissues. This helps to remove even severe swelling, prevent the spread of hematoma. S alt solution also draws out pus, toxins, pathogens. Therefore, such compresses are used even with serious wounds.
For a compress, you need to prepare an 8-10% saline solution. It is better to take sea s alt for it, but ordinary rock s alt is also suitable. It is usually recommended to make a solution of 3 tablespoons of s alt per liter of water. It should be at room temperature. If you need to activate blood circulation in the subcutaneous tissue or relax spasmodic muscles, make hots alt compress, but it should be less concentrated.
Medicinal herbs for compresses
Most often used for bruises, decoctions or tinctures of plants. Such compresses are less likely to cause side effects and have a mild effect. But they can relieve pain and prevent a big bruise.
- The best plant, according to doctors, to eliminate the unpleasant symptoms of minor injuries is plantain. True, such a compress can be used for a bruise only in the summer, when there are fresh leaves. They need to be washed and kneaded a little so that they let the juice flow. Then apply to the site of injury and secure with a bandage. If you change the compress every 2 hours, you can prevent bruising and quickly relieve pain.
- Mountain arnica perfectly relieves inflammation and pain, reduces swelling and hematoma. It is necessary to make a strong decoction of the roots and flowers of the plant. The compress is applied several times a day.
- Pureed aloe leaves mixed with honey have a strong analgesic property. They can be used as a compress for severe inflammation.
- You can make an infusion in a thermos from a mixture of wild rosemary, hop cones, St. John's wort and wormwood. For 500 ml of boiling water, you need 3 tablespoons of herbs. Apply a cloth soaked in hot solution to the sore spot and hold until cool.
Effective folk methods
It is impossible to determine which compress for a bruise will be the most effective, because they all have different effects. That's whyYou need to focus on the individual characteristics and severity of the injury. But there are a few recipes that are used most often.
- Cabbage leaves can be used. They need to be crushed and applied to the site of injury. Such compresses are good at removing bruises, swelling and inflammation
- Fat cottage cheese copes well with the consequences of a bruise, homemade is best. It needs to be kneaded with a fork with honey and s alt. The compress is fixed with a bandage, you need to change it several times a day.
- Make strong tea, moisten gauze and apply it to the bruise. You need to change the compress as it dries.
- Good removes swelling and pain raw potatoes. It must be finely chopped, mixed with honey and raw egg, then applied to the bruise. You need to change the compress several times a day.
- The onion compress has the same effect. The onion is crushed, a spoonful of honey or sugar is added. The compress is fixed and insulated with a scarf.
- Vinegar compress has warming properties. It is necessary to mix 9% vinegar, vegetable oil and water in equal quantities. Soak a cloth in the resulting solution and apply to the site of injury. Cover with foil and insulate.
- To relieve swelling and resorption of the hematoma, a compress of birch leaves is suitable. 200 grams of chopped fresh leaves should be poured with a liter of boiling water and a tablespoon of s alt should be added. The compress is changed up to 6 times a day.
Medicated compresses
To treat the effects of bruises, you can also use drugs from a pharmacy. Usually such drugs are available in every home. These are ointments, liniments, powder or solutions. Such compresses after an injury will help remove bruising, swelling and inflammation, relieve pain and accelerate tissue healing.
- "Bodyaga" is the most common remedy for bruising and pain after a bruise. It can only be used if there is no damage to the skin. The drug draws out toxins, accelerates blood circulation. You can use bodyaga in the form of a powder or ointment. The powder is diluted with water and this gruel is used for compress.
- The drug "Dimexide" is also effective. It quickly relieves swelling, inflammation and pain. Such compresses are used for severe bruises, but without skin damage. The drug must be diluted with water or Novocaine. You can’t rub the resulting product into the skin, you need to use it only for compresses.
- Heparin ointment can also be used for bruises without damaging the skin. It is applied in a thick layer and strengthened with a bandage.
- If the bruise is accompanied by abrasions or scratches, it is better to use Vishnevsky's liniment. The ointment is applied in a thick layer and bandaged.
- There are also several special ointments and creams that are designed to treat bruises. This is "Rescuer", "911", "BruiseOFF".
Other drugs can be used only on the advice of a doctor. A specialist will help you choose the best remedy that will quickly help you cope with the consequences of a bruise.
