Bone bruise
What is it?
- Bleeding that occurs within the bone due to trauma
- A bone bruise is usually a result from sudden or repetitive trauma, not strong enough to fracture the bone, that causes bleeding (bruising) within the bone
- Bone bruises are associated with ACL tears, patella dislocations, occult fractures, and contusions.
- Pain
- Swelling
- Pain is felt at the injury site
- Pain can spread into nearby joints, muscles, or even skin
- MRI
- X-Ray - can often miss bruising if it is not large
- Like most types of trauma, a bone bruise is characterized by pain and swelling. However, the pain involved in a bone bruise tends to be more severe and lasts longer than a soft tissue trauma. The swelling may be seen around the soft tissue surrounding the bone, such as the skin and muscles, and may be accompanied by discoloration. When a bone bruise is adjacent to a joint, blood and fluids can spread to the joint, causing it to swell.
- A bone bruise may cause minimal damage to a bone which may be detected with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) but not by plain x-rays.