Bruising is the phenomenon in which the skin color changes to fast red or purple due to the accumulation of blood, just underneath the skin. Due to any minor injury or trauma, blood vessels may get leaky and blood can pour out into the subcutaneous tissues, muscles and bones present in the sheath of skin. The skin color changes with times, first it is red, then purple, blue and turns green before bruise get healed.
The Arch of the foot, toes and the heel are the main components of foot, each composed of muscles, fascia and bones in particular arrangement. The foot also gets an extensive blood supply. As the foot is responsible for our main and most body movements like walking and running, the blood vessels in the foot are susceptible to rupture by any form of trauma and bruising that may occur. The extent of bruising depends on the blunt object hitting the foot and also the intensity of the blow. Both feet can also be bruised at same time in some situations.
What causes bruising?
You may have been encountered the bruising many times, not only on the feet but also on the other body parts too. The only and main cause of the bruising is a minor injury, which does not tear the outer skin and fascia but damages the small blood vessels present inside. The striking of a blunt object like a stick can also cause bruising. In case of foot, injuries from minor bumps, falls, or scrapes are common causes of the bruising. The body part getting bruised is also important in considering causes, as some body parts are more prone to get bruised than the others and feet are one of them. In some cases, the bruising may be simply inherited case, as blood vessels are too weak to sustain their structure for long time and blood gets leaked into subcutaneous tissues.
Symptoms of bruising:
Most common and important signs and symptoms of bruising are:
- Skin discoloration to purple, blue or dark red
- Tenderness
- Pain in the bruised area
- Swelling
- Inflammation
- Clear margins around bruised area
- Color changes from time to time
How to treat foot bruises?
Bruising is normally not a grave problem and heals automatically without needing some medical attention. The skin color starts changing and becomes normal in some days. However the related symptoms should be addressed to avoid discomfort like pain and swelling.
- Apply some ice cubes on the bruised area. Take some pieces of pieces, wrap them in a clean piece of cloth and place on bruised area after every two hours to decrease the inflammation. Once swelling is gone, no need to apply ice.
- The pain can be relieved by taking some painkiller like ibuprofen or acetaminophen. The problem will be vanished in a week for most. If the bruising gets severe and does not resolve on itself, hospital care must be sought.