When you’re trying to determine the severity of bruises, whether you have them or they are on someone that you love, it is necessary to remember that there are specific, different kinds of bruises out there.  If you educate yourself a little more about the different types of bruises that there are, you are going to become much more knowledgeable of what treatments are available and how best to use them.  Make yourself aware of how much you really know about bruises and the best ways to treat  them.  If you learn how to determine how mild or severe a bruise is, you are going to have a significantly better thought process of how to best treat it.

First, determine where the injury actually is.  A subcutaneous bruise is one that occurs just below the skin and will normally be considered mild.  At another level, an intramuscular bruise occurs deeper within the belt of the muscle underneath and can cause some more significant damage.  An even deeper bruise is a periosteal bruise which refers to a bone bruise, which can be very painful.

In the rating of bruises, medical professionals sometimes will use the following scale to indicate the severity:

0- a light bruise with no damage at all  1- a less than moderate bruise with a minimal amount of damage done  2- a moderate bruise showing some damage  3- a serious bruise with the possibility of permanent or impermanent harm  4- an extremely serious bruise with the possibility of permanent or impermanent damage  5- a critical bruise containing a risk of death

When you get a light bruise, you could feel a bit of pain, whether it occurs right away or later.  You may develop an inflammation because histamines have been released into the blood stream.  Even after the capillary walls have been repaired, blood can still weep out and cause the bruise to look darker, and it will generally take about fifteen days for a light bruise to fade, while a darker bruise can take a little longer.  Bruises that are categorized as mild will tend to need the least amount of treatment, though depending on the location of the bruise, you could have to rely on some stretching exercises during the healing process so that the muscles beneath the bruise don’t become stiff and stubborn.

With bruises that are considered moderate or severe, however, you can find that you are going to be dealing with somewhat serious complications.  Further bleeding may occur, and it is possible that swelling can cut off the flow of blood to the tissues.  The blunt trauma that goes into creating bruises of this severity can result in injury to the internal organs or bones, and if the strike is severe enough, concussion, coma and even death can be the result.  At this point, emergency treatment becomes necessary.

Fortunately enough, most of us only have to deal with light bruises in our day to day lives.  Take some time and make sure that your bruises, no matter what their severity, get treated appropriately.

About the author: 


Carolyn Cooper is recognized as a well known expert on bruising causes through a combination of her educational experience in nutrition and her real life expertise with nutritional supplements for athletes, ranging from children to the professional ranks. You can get a free Special Report on bruising causes and see what she’s done to get you beyond the nightmares of easy bruising and help you prevent bruising altogether.