Ouch- anyone ever had a bone bruise?

[ace]

I had an unfortunate slip and fall accident at the gym in November, fell and banged my knee really, really hard (and at a weird angle). Xrays and MRI indicate it's "just" a bruise, possibly a bone bruise. Anyone else here ever had a bruise that took months to heal? My acupuncturist, the pt, etc. keep telling me it WILL heal (and it better- I have a bike trip in Italy booked in May!), but progress is slow to nonexistent. It still hurts to stand for more than a minute or so, and it's been 6 weeks. They tell me it's because the bruise was very deep, and it's still healing. Plus circulation stinks in the knee.

Anyone have an experience to share? I am worried.

Thanks,
Amy

[mimitabby]

bone bruises take months to heal.

[Velobambina]

I had one on my shin and it took a long time to get better. Be patient. Remember, it's better than a fracture or screwing up the ligaments in your knee!

[rocknrollgirl]

Firstly...I am sorry that you are hurt... Now....

Mt biker chiming in....HA have I ever had a bone bruise? Yep, I usually have one going all the time.

Last year I crashed in a rock garden and had one on my hip the size of a melon...It took a long time to heal and let what I swear is a scar.

The DH did an endo the other night and caught the bar end in the chest. I do not think the ribs are broken, but the bruise is so severe, that if he sneezes or coughs, he is in excruciating pain...

Hang in there...it takes a long time....

[7rider]

bone bruises take months to heal.

Yup.
Went over the handlebars and landed on my forearm at the elbow in May. Bone bruise. Took all summer to feel "right."

[pll]

Ace,

Sorry to hear that. Bone "bruises" take months to heal. Long enough for you to develop habits to avoid the pain (e.g., not lean on a particular knee when you need to kneel); it improves slowly, but by May you should be good to go. I bruised my left knee last May and it took until early this fall to heal completely. [How? Left my house at 5am without coffee, stopped at a friend's place, unclipped the right foot and leaned to the left... slow motion, embarrassing fall].

[Brandi]

oh my gosh I had the worst bone bruise about 3 years ago on my shin. i was back packing with dh. i had about a 40 pound pack on. Slipped on the trail and my shin hit a rock that left a hole in my skin. the whole trip never saw anyone... right when I did that 3 hikers came up behind me. I was trying not to cry it hurts soooooo bad. It took a whole year before I could put any weight on it. And the bad part for me is I sculpt for a living (www.sandscapes.com) and have to be on my knees a lot. It was a hard work season for me. I am still a little wierd about it. It is like a ghost pain now. They really hurt! I am with you on this one totally!

[RoadRaven]

Ooooh yes...
I absolutely have
And as the gals say, it can take months for it to go.

No-one else has recommended arnica... it is my first aid kit, and I strongly recommend you get some as a natural and non-invasive remedy.

You can get it in cream or massage oil for topical application, you can also get little pillules or tasteless drops you add to water... both are excellent to use in conjunction with the cream/oil.

I strongly recommend using this, as it reduces and heals the bruising dramatically!

[Bluetree]

I was in a bad car accident in Aug05. A car rear ended me (and caused 16k damage to my Volvo) and my right knee was forced into the dashboard. Luckily, my knee cap wasn't broken, but the ensuing bone bruise took about six months to heal. Be patient! ;)

[ace]

Thanks for all your responses, although that wasn't exactly what I wanted to hear. Strangely, I can kneel without any pain, and my range of motion is fine. It's just standing or walking that's a problem. I am taking arnica (and ruta, another homeopathic remedy), getting acupuncture, and doing pt, so I hope I can get back cycling in a few months. As long as I have time to train for Italy, I'll be happy.

[Kathi]

Yes, when I tore my acl/mcl last Jan. I had a bone bruise that went away after 9-10 weeks. It was after my acl surgery that it stopped bothering me, maybe because I was stressing it less because I was off my feet for awhile. The pain has not returned even with all the cycling I did over the summer and skiing I am now doing.

[Jenerator]

Ditto on the 'be patient' bits from everyone else. Mine was the result of a ski injury that was initially diagnosed as only mcl damage. My PT was frustrated that I was still experiencing pain and not progressing like I should have after weeks. So off to the MRI machine I went. The MRI found a fracture, acl damage and the bone bruise. Didn't change the PT regimine a bit, just got me more of it for longer with a little more patience.

[Melstar]

erghh bone bruise... i've one on the knee where i banged it pretty bad a while back.. it still hurts when i use my fingers to press it.

[Brandi]

Ooooh yes...
I absolutely have
And as the gals say, it can take months for it to go.

No-one else has recommended arnica... it is my first aid kit, and I strongly recommend you get some as a natural and non-invasive remedy.

You can get it in cream or massage oil for topical application, you can also get little pillules or tasteless drops you add to water... both are excellent to use in conjunction with the cream/oil.

I strongly recommend using this, as it reduces and heals the bruising dramatically!
I agree on the arnica solution as well. It won't make it go away but it won't hurt either!

[ace]

Yup, I'm taking arnica (both cream and pills), plus ruta (another homeopathic remedy that's good for knee stuff), plus chinese medicine (some trauma pills), plus relefan (western medicine anti-inflammatory), plus ice, plus rest, plus acupuncture, plus chiropractic. I think I'm good on the remedies ;)

Some of you pegged it...I'm AWFUL at patience. Plus, this is a perfect storm kind of injury- stupid accident, right after my bf broke up with me and I was feeling like a pathetic mess, while I'm working crazy hours, just after I'd signed up for the Cindy training series and my Italy bike trip. So not being able to do anything except lie around is making me feel endorphin-deprived and afraid that it's FOREVER. But I know it's not. I imagine I'll be fine for Italy (it's six days of 30-50 miles a day, and not until the end of May), even if I'm not for the Cinderella.

Let's just say, in addition to being painful physically, this injury has been very emotional for me.

[RoadRaven]

ace... I am interested in the "ruta" - I have never heard of this before... you say it is "good for knee stuff"... is it similar to glucosamine?

[ace]

Hiya,

Ruta graveolens is a homeopathic remedy. A friend of mine is a homeopath, and she got it for me. It's good for certain kinds of knee problems, and also for computer eye strain! Here's something about it: http://www.abchomeopathy.com/r.php/Ruta

Honestly, the most helpful treatment I've gotten is acupuncture for the pain, and really good physical therapy. I couldn't say if the homeopathic remedies really worked.

Cheers,
Amy

[RoadRaven]

Thanks ace
I'll suss it out
I am very much into "natural"/homeopathic solutions where possible