How to distinguish between a fracture or a severe bruise. The difference between a bruise and a fracture
There is no person who has never fallen or been hit hard in his life. Everyone knows what agony it is when you get a bruise, much less a fracture. When such a situation arises, the doctor is not always nearby. But don't panic until the ambulance arrives! To help the victim, you must first determine what type of injury he has. The diagnosis determines how to further treat the patient.
By medical terms, a fracture is an injury characterized by a violation of the integrity bone tissue. There are two types of this injury: open and closed. The first option will not be difficult to determine visually, that is, not only the bone will be damaged, but also the muscles and skin. A closed fracture is characterized by acute pain and swelling of the soft tissues. If the injury is not displaced, then it is difficult to determine whether it is a bruise or a fracture. The main characteristics of a violation of the integrity of bone tissue:- Unnatural mobility at the site of bone damage.
- It is impossible to move or lean on the damaged area, especially with injuries to the femur or humerus.
- Persistent pain as the muscles contract and disturb the bone or fragments, and the pain becomes stronger over time.
- Sometimes hematomas and swelling occur due to muscle damage. This does not always happen; cracks in the bone do not cause such symptoms.
The patient will have to visit the emergency room, where the surgeon will send him for an x-ray. Only in this way is it possible to accurately determine correct diagnosis. Contact your doctor immediately and do not self-medicate to avoid further complications.
According to statistics, hands are the most injured parts of the body. The fact is that in the process of falling a person instinctively throws them forward. As a result, he may receive a severe bruise to his hand.
Severe bruise of the hand: how to treat
The following cases mainly provoke an unpleasant situation:
- Hit;
- Hand clamping;
- Fall;
- Injury as a result of performing sports exercises.
A bruise is damage to soft tissues and skin. It may be accompanied by a violation of the integrity of ligaments and bones. A minor bruise does not cause much discomfort. However, bruising may occur. If the injury is severe, a large hematoma will appear. Pulsation and pain may also occur during movement. IN in this case V mandatory you should visit the emergency room. There you will be examined for bone cracks, tendon ruptures, fractures, and dislocations.
Important! A hand injury is accompanied by the following symptoms:
- Emergence.
- Decreased hand sensitivity.
- Redness of the skin.
- Pain that can radiate to other parts of the arm.
- Swelling.
- Difficulty in moving a limb.
In the wrist, as is known, there are nerve trunks. As a result, pain due to injury can be intense, then subside, and then appear again. A severe bruise of the hand gives different sensations: burning, pulsation, aching pain, convulsions.
How to distinguish a bruise from a fracture
The symptoms of a bruise and a broken hand are very similar. Attention! An x-ray will help determine the exact nature of the injury. If the arm is swollen, there is a high probability that a bone is involved. But if the swelling gradually disappears, this indicates a bruise or dislocation.
A fracture can be recognized by some symptoms. It's bleeding under the skin that won't stop sharp pain and loss of motor ability of the hand. If you observe these phenomena, you should immediately go to the doctor. A signal that you are facing a fracture may also be unnatural mobility of the arm - the limb will dangle. Also, a person who has a broken hand bone is unable to lean on it or hold any objects. This is not observed with a bruise.
What to do immediately after an injury
First aid for an injured hand is to immediately apply ice or something cold to it. This could be bottled water, food from the freezer, etc. If you prefer ice, it should be applied to the skin, wrapped in a cloth. Otherwise you can get . Keeping ice and cold foods on your wrist is allowed for no longer than 15 minutes.
Important! As first aid for injury, you can use folk remedies. Good effect give grated potatoes and cabbage leaves. The presented lotions can be left overnight. Then they are removed and a mesh of iodine is drawn to restore blood circulation.
If your hand hurts a lot, you should use an analgesic, for example, No-shpu. If there is no external damage to the skin, you can apply healing cream. It is also recommended to secure your hand using a bandage.
Attention! It is prohibited to forcefully pull a limb in an attempt to straighten it! This will make things even worse. The best option– go to the hospital for an x-ray.
Use of painkillers and folk remedies
If there is a bruise right hand or left, it is recommended to use it to relieve swelling medicines. The best creams presented on the market are Diclofenac sodium, Ketotifen, Ibuprofen. Gels and ointments are recommended to be used 3 times a day. Applying them to abrasions and scratches is not allowed.
If a large hematoma appears, you can use Badyaga. It is applied in several layers, and then a bandage is applied. A day after the bruise of the hand was received, treatment is continued with the help of camphor oil. They simply lubricate the hand. You can purchase the product at any pharmacy. You can also rub the affected area 2 times a day. alcohol tincture wild rosemary
Another effective way, which can help is a compress. It is prepared from the following components, taken in equal parts:
- Vegetable oil;
- Vinegar;
- Water.
They are mixed and applied cold to the brush on the first day. A bandage is placed on top of the hand. The procedure should be repeated 3 times a day. On the second and third days, the compress is applied again, but already warm.
Any herb, or rather the chlorophyll it contains, can relieve inflammation. Grind any leaves to a paste. As a result, juice should appear, which will be used to lubricate the affected area.
Another option to get rid of pain is taking baths from sea salt. Take 5 liters of water and dissolve 200 g of salt in them. Then you should immerse your hand in the resulting solution for half an hour. As it cools, you need to add hot water.
The healing qualities of aloe are known to everyone. An ointment for bruises can be obtained from the plant. Take aloe pulp and honey in equal parts. The resulting mixture is applied to the affected area. It relieves pain well.
Lotions made from burnet root will help stop internal hemorrhage. They are great for relieving pain. The crushed root of the plant is taken and boiled for several minutes. Then it is cooled, wrapped in a bandage and applied to the site of the bruise.
All the methods presented are effective and quite simple to implement. However, if they do not help, you should immediately consult a doctor.
Possible complications
A bruise of the hand caused by an impact, which is best treated in consultation with a doctor, can lead to various complications. If the blow itself falls on the palm, it may be damaged ulnar nerve. Physiotherapy and taking vitamins will help bring it back to normal.
It happens that due to a tumor in the hand, the nerve endings are compressed. In this case, you should contact a surgeon. He will cut the wrist ligament where the nerve trunks are.
In some cases, osteoporosis may develop due to a bruise. It is treated with reflexology and physiotherapy.
How to develop a hand
After treatment, it is necessary to perform actions that will help restore the limb. These are simple exercises that can be done at home:
- Imitation of playing the piano. Place your palm on the table, drum your fingers on its surface;
- Sit so that your back is straight. Place your palms together and swing them from side to side like a metronome. The exercise must be performed as carefully as possible;
- Place your hand on the table so that your palm is pressed tightly. Gently lift your fingers upward from the tabletop;
- Turn your hand with your palm facing you. Put an eraser in it. Squeeze it with your fingers;
- To restore blood circulation, move small balls between your fingers.
Attention! You can carry out the presented exercises only after 3 days have passed from the date of the injury. If you are not confident in your abilities, you can sign up for a massage with a specialist. Self-massage should also help. It is performed like this: with a healthy hand, starting from the fingertips, slowly knead the hand to the wrist. In the end the swelling will go away faster.
For severe bruises, the doctor may prescribe acupuncture. Just a few procedures will restore sensitivity in your hand. Correct observance specialist recommendations will lead to recovery in just 10-15 days. Ignoring treatment may cause serious problems with a brush.
A fracture and a bruise have similar symptoms, but the treatment and consequences for both injuries are different. It is difficult to distinguish from a fracture, as well as to understand the nature of the injury when hit with the edge of the palm, on the nose or in the back. Damage may cause injury to soft fabrics, ligaments and bone structures. And if there are diseases musculoskeletal system, even a small impact is enough to cause serious injury.
Reason for deformation bone structures and compression of soft tissues can be the same effect. , as well as, are received in a fall, direct impact, or during an accident. A bruise or fracture may be the result of unsuccessful sports training. Often leg injuries complement each other: a crack, dislocation, ligament rupture, extensive bruise - all this occurs simultaneously under intense mechanical stress.
Foot injuries are always more difficult to diagnose. If a person steps on his foot unsuccessfully, then it seems that it should not happen, but this does not exclude the appearance of cracks. Similar disturbances are caused by heavy objects falling from above. You can injure your finger while walking - by tripping over a stone or other object.
As for the classic manifestations of a bruise, these are:
- pain– most acute at the time of injury, after a few hours sensations in the affected areas become dull;
- swelling– spreads throughout the day, then decreases;
- hematoma– develops gradually, reaches a maximum in the first day, then resolves.
The next symptoms are temporary stiffness, numbness or tingling, and local hyperemia.
Dynamics modern life, responsibilities at work and at home sometimes leave no time for taking care of your health. Having fallen, simply hit the corner of a table, or been injured in a crush, public transport, we often do not want to see a doctor, hoping that the damage will go away on its own. To avoid complications, you need to know how to distinguish a bruise from a fracture. If you experience certain symptoms, it is recommended to seek immediate medical attention. medical care. The moment is especially important timely diagnosis when children become victims.
It is important to know that when a fracture occurs, bones suffer, while bruises affect tissues and organs. First aid methods are similar, but further therapy differs. Knowing the main symptoms of these injuries will help you not to get confused and act correctly.
Signs of bruise
A bruise is a violation of soft tissue due to a blow with a blunt object. Leather, subcutaneous tissue, periosteum and even internal organs with strong physical impact they may suffer. The integrity of the tissue structure is disrupted, swelling and hemorrhages appear.
Main symptoms:
- sharp pain after the blow, subsiding over time;
- the swelling that appears increases;
- mobility is painful, but almost unlimited;
- hematoma.
Depending on the affected area, specific manifestations are possible:
- if the abdominal area is damaged, damage to the abdominal organs is suspected;
- bruise in the area chest may cause cardiac arrest;
- oblique blow is accompanied by detachment of the epithelium, subcutaneous fatty tissue, appears wound surface in the injured area, which is dangerous due to bacterial infection;
- if the area of the neck or spine is damaged, cerebral and spinal circulation may be impaired, including loss of consciousness and temporary paresis.
With joint injuries, it is difficult to detect the difference between a fracture in this place and a bruise. Pain, swelling, bruising, or a bent leg or arm are all signs of both conditions. Therefore, it is necessary to go to the emergency room for an X-ray examination.
Impacts to places with a small volume of soft tissue are dangerous:
- ankle area;
- brush;
- cheekbones.
In this case, damage to the periosteum with its subsequent detachment is possible; bone cracks are not uncommon; only a doctor can recognize their difference from a bruise.
Unlike a fracture, a head contusion is less dangerous. If the impact was minimal, the manifestation will be a bump. At strong impact It is difficult to visually recognize the absence of a skull fracture from the head. The person may faint, feel dizzy, severe pain, other symptoms of a concussion. It is recommended to go to the hospital.
Signs of a fracture
A fracture is a violation of the integrity of a bone. May be complete or partial. Occurs as a result of blows, falls, force majeure situations (road accidents, industrial accidents, fights, etc.). Distinguish multiple trauma, with and without offset.
There are so-called absolute signs of a fracture, which in 90% of cases make it possible to distinguish this disorder from a bruise:
- unnatural mobility, i.e. movement of a limb in a place where this is physiologically impossible, since there is no joint there;
- characteristic crunching sound;
- protruding bone fragments;
- anatomically unusual position of a limb (legs, arms).
Pathological fractures of the arm and other parts of the body can only be distinguished by knowing the complete picture of the patient's health condition. Factors contributing to the development of such injury can be osteochondrosis, tuberculosis, and oncological processes.
A sign of a violation of the integrity of large tubular bones become heavy bleeding. The patient may lose up to 700 ml of blood. In this case, it is not appropriate to apply a tourniquet, since the source of bleeding is inside the hard, mineral part of the bone. It is only possible to stop such blood loss surgically, in a specially equipped operating room. Urgent transportation to a medical facility is required.
Doubts arise during diagnosis closed fractures when the symptoms are not so severe. To determine the integrity of the leg, you can lightly tap the heel - the pain is localized at the site of injury, in case of fractures upper limbs the effect is applied to the hand.
Technological progress has brought into our lives additional comfort, but unfortunately has caused an increase and variety of injuries. At the beginning of the last century, bumper fractures of the tibia were a rare occurrence, but since people switched to cars, the number of victims has been steadily increasing. To properly respond to injuries, you need to be able to distinguish them, know the basic symptoms and rules of first aid. An interesting article on the topic -.
Timely and correct diagnosis is the first step on the path to recovery.
A stubbed toe is one of the most common lower extremity injuries.
This pathological phenomenon can cause not only a lot of discomfort and pain, but also lead to a temporary decrease in a person’s ability to work. Due to the lack of specialized knowledge, not every person can boast of the ability to distinguish a bruise from a fracture. You can get this kind of injury both at home and while outside your home.
The main difference between a contusion injury and a fracture is that when it occurs, the integrity and anatomical position of the bone structures is not violated. Despite the fact that only soft tissues are affected, a bruise cannot be regarded as an insignificant type of damage. Every person, regardless of age and character labor activity, it is recommended to familiarize yourself with the main signs of a bruise, as well as information on how to help and treat fractures.
Clinical picture
The nature and intensity of clinical manifestations of a bruise directly depends on the degree traumatic injury.IN clinical practice The following levels of damage are distinguished:
Important! With moderate to severe damage to the soft tissues of the toe, a person may experience separation of the nail plate, which will eventually fall off and be replaced by a new one. Information about whether a person has suffered a bruise or a leg injury can only be provided by a traumatologist, based on a general examination of the injured limb, as well as the results x-ray examination.
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General symptoms
Clinical manifestations bruised injuries in the toe area have been described in detail above. Recognize a fracture bone elements given anatomical education, you can do it like this characteristic features:
- Limited or absent mobility in the area of the injured finger;
- Intense pain syndrome, aggravated by touching and attempts to move;
- Anatomically unacceptable position of the injured finger. The injured structure occupies a forced position taken during the injury;
- Local boost temperature of the skin over the injured area;
- Redness and severe swelling skin in the fracture zone.
In addition, the formation of a hematoma of the damaged toe due to a fracture or bruise is observed.
What is the difference
The question of how to distinguish a bruise from a fracture in the toe area does not lose its relevance. Knowing the key differences between the mentioned injuries will allow each person to orient themselves in time and provide themselves or the victim with pre-medical care. The main difference between a bruise and a fracture is the fact that with a bruised injury the integrity of the bone elements is not compromised. Another significant difference between the two injuries is the nature and speed of hematoma and edema.
If a person has bruised his toe, then the listed symptoms make themselves felt the next day after the injury. When we're talking about about a fracture of the bone elements of the finger, hematoma and swelling form within a few minutes after the injury. In addition, finger biomotility during a fracture is partially or completely absent. As a rule, after a finger fracture, its anatomical position is disrupted.
The structure can be elongated or shortened, raised upward or involuntarily hanging down. When trying to place a finger in a normal anatomical position, a person experiences a sharp increase in pain, up to painful shock. Also, a fracture is characterized by throbbing or bursting pain, accompanied by a bone crunch.
The listed criteria will be able to answer the question of how to distinguish a fracture from a bruised toe, however, a person who has suffered an injury is recommended to immediately go to the emergency room to undergo a comprehensive medical examination.
First aid
It is important for every person to know what to do in case of a bruise or fracture on the pre-medical stage.Plan first aid for a bruised toe, includes the following items:
With strong painful sensations, you should take a pain reliever.
Before visiting a traumatologist, a list urgent measures for a fracture, contains the following points:
- Taking a pain reliever from the group of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs;
- If there are visible skin lesions, their processing antiseptic(hydrogen peroxide);
- Fixing the damaged finger to a nearby one using a bandage and cotton wool, which is placed between two fingers as a softening pillow. If the finger is too deformed, then its fixation is unjustified, as this will lead to increased pain syndrome;
- Lower limb on the side of the injury should be placed on a hill, and a heating pad with ice should be applied to the damaged area.
After emergency measures are taken, a person with an injury is advised to immediately go to the emergency room.
Treatment options
The plan of conservative measures in case of a bruise or fracture of the toe includes the following methods:
- The use of products for external use containing analgesic and anti-inflammatory components. Most often, gels and ointments containing non-steroidal anti-inflammatory components (Diclofenac, Ibuprofen ointment, Voltaren, Dolobene) are used.
- Application of an immobilizing plaster cast (for a fracture).
- Taking tableted medications that have analgesic (pain-relieving) and anti-inflammatory effects. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs may also be used in injection form(Voltaren).
- Application of hardware physiotherapy techniques (UHF, paraffin baths, ozokerite applications, infrared radiation, electrophoresis).
- Wearing orthopedic shoes, which was selected individually.
In addition, for severe fractures with displaced bone fragments, a person may be prescribed surgery in order to restore the structures of the damaged finger. 
Traditional methods treatments may be an effective adjunct to conservative therapy, but their independent use with serious bruises and fractures can lead to deterioration general condition and the development of deforming changes in the finger joints. As methods alternative medicine for bruises, apply compresses of vinegar and water, prepared in a ratio of 1:3, as well as homemade ointments.
The most popular ointment is prepared on the basis of camphor powder, ammonia and laundry soap.
