A bruise is caused by a hard blow that damages the subcutaneous tissue without breaking the skin. This can cause pain, swelling, and a bruise. Fortunately, you can do something yourself to speed up the healing process. In this blog post, we share 5 practical tips for quickly healing your knee, ankle, or other area.
What is a bruise?
Bruises occur when your body receives a hard blow or impact. This doesn't break the skin, but rather damages the underlying tissue. The small blood vessels beneath the skin are damaged, causing blood to leak into the surrounding tissue. This can cause bruising, swelling, pain, or stiffness.
What are the symptoms of a bruise?
Symptoms are usually easy to recognise, but they can vary depending on the location. For example, if you have a bruised rib, it might feel different than a sprained ankle. These are some of the most common symptoms:
Bruise, which may later also turn green or yellow;
Swelling;
Pain or tenderness;
Stiffness or difficulty moving;
Heat or redness.
Although discolouration of the area is common, you can also have a bruise without a bruise. This depends on the location and your skin type or blood circulation.
How long does a bruise last?
The duration depends on the location. For example, if you sprained your wrist, finger, or ankle, recovery may take longer because these areas move more. On average, recovery takes about 5-14 days, but there can be exceptions.
How does a bruise heal fastest?
With the right approach, you can significantly accelerate your recovery. Sufficient rest is always essential, but other tools like red light therapy can also contribute to the recovery process. Below are tips on how you can promote recovery.
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5 tips to recover quickly from a bruise
1. Start cooling immediately
Cooling a bruise is very important for the first 48 hours. It can reduce or prevent swelling and pain. And how long should you cool a bruise? About 15 minutes at a time, several times a day.
2. Get enough rest
Rest is important. This prevents overexertion of the area. This is especially important for a wrist sprain, a sprained knee, or other areas that normally move a lot. This is especially important during the first few days to prevent the injury from worsening.
3. Gently move the area
After a few days of rest, you can begin to exercise gently. This can stimulate blood circulation and help your body recover better. Be careful not to force anything, and take it easy if you feel it's necessary.
4. Apply an ointment for bruises
Use a specially formulated bruise ointment. For example, arnica is a bruise ointment that helps with bruising and swelling.
5. Use red light therapy
Use red light therapy to treat your bruise. This can speed up your recovery process. You can now do this from home, for example, with the PowerCure laser. Read more below about how red light therapy can help.
How does red light therapy work for bruises?
Red light therapy uses red light that you can shine on your body. This light penetrates the skin, cells, and underlying tissues, thus positively impacting the healing process. This is exactly what happens during a treatment:
It stimulates cell activity by producing more energy, allowing cells to recover and function better;
It improves blood circulation, which allows waste products to be removed more effectively and nutrients and oxygen to reach the area more quickly;
It reduces inflammation and swelling, which also reduces pain;
It relieves pain naturally.
The science of red light therapy
Red light therapy seems emerging, but it has already been studied for years in the medical world. Numerous studies demonstrate its positive results. Promising results have also been found in the fields of physiotherapy, wound healing, sports medicine, and pain management. Research shows that it increases ATP production, improves blood flow, reduces inflammation, influences cytokines, and inhibits pain signals.
How PowerCure can help you with a bruise
With the PowerCure, you literally bring the power of red light into your home. This compact and portable device makes it easy to treat precisely the area that's bothering you. Whether it's your knee, your hand, or that sensitive thumb. You can use PowerCure whenever and wherever you want. And the best part: just a few minutes a day can provide noticeable relief.
Shop the PowerCure laser here