Heel bruise: causes, methods of treatment. Sports injuries
Heel bruise is a common injury that can result from an unsuccessful abutment on the foot, impact against a hard surface. Since such injuries are accompanied by a gradual increase in pain, they should in no case be ignored. If you do not perform proper heel treatment, after a while you can be blind and lose the opportunity to move independently.
What is the damage?
Under the usual injury means closed tissue traumatism, in which there is no change in their structure. At the same time, the bruise of the heel is often accompanied by rupture of ligaments, dislocation of the joint. Such damage only increases the already quite significant pain. In some cases, the injury of the heel is accompanied by more serious disorders in the form of fractures and sprains.
Symptoms of
The heel bruise is accompanied by damage to vessels in this area. Formed bruises gradually impregnate the fatty tissue located under the skin. The result is the appearance of the cyanotic region, which, in fact, indicates the presence of a bruise.
By the mere appearance of the damage, it is difficult to determine how severe the impact was and whether the injury is serious. This is due to the peculiarities of each individual organism. For example, people with brittle vascular walls and elderly victims often develop pronounced bruises of a purple hue. On the contrary, the bruise of the heel in young people can cause only redness and swelling of the tissues. 
Usually, immediately after getting the injury, the bruise acquires a cyanotic shade. In connection with the biochemical processes taking place in the tissues, the lesion becomes greenish-yellow with time. The more time passed since the injury, the yellow area of the injury.
Diagnosis
If there is a sharp pain in the heel, treatment is required immediately. In this case, as a rule, one can not avoid resorting to a traumatologist. Only a specialist can exclude the presence of a fracture. For this purpose, the heel of the calcaneus is performed. Only after the specified action it is possible to pass to application of therapeutic agents.
In case of a bruise complicated by a fracture, it is necessary to do without the application of gypsum. If the essence of the injury is only a damage to the soft tissues or an insignificant stretching of the ligaments - it is enough to prescribe medicines that can remove puffiness and visit physiotherapy procedures.
The strongest bruises of the heel are accompanied by the immediate appearance of a bulky edematous area. In the presence of a complex injury, the functions of the foot are violated. In the most serious cases, the victim is not only difficult to lean on his leg, but also to touch the heel of a hard surface.
Common causes of heel injury
Trauma can be caused by various factors, including:
- unsuccessful landing after a jump;
- careless movement on uneven surfaces;
- increased physical activity;
- climbing the stairs;
- prolonged wearing of shoes on an uncomfortable or too high heel.
Quite often, injuries are caused by sports injuries to the bruise. In the group at risk of getting such damage, people who lead an active lifestyle, adolescents and children are the first.
First aid
To reduce the level of pain and not to get even bigger trouble in the form of complications, it is extremely important to get first aid in case of a heel injury. In case of suspicion of a bruise, it is recommended to completely eliminate the load on the foot. It is advisable to be in a recumbent or sitting position until the severity of the injury is determined. It is better that the leg hangs freely at the same time.
Primary action in case of injury to the heel is the imposition on the damaged area of a cold compress in the form of an ice bag, a cooled bottle, and the like. With this simple action, you can quickly remove the swelling. Treatment of such a plan will also cope with unbearable growing pain. 
It is strongly recommended not to bandage the foot before revealing the nature of the damage. In case of a fracture, bone fragments can be displaced, which will cause a whole lot of unpleasant consequences.
Heel bruise: how to treat?
Consider the recovery features after a heel bruise in cases where the damage is not complicated by the presence of a fracture:
- During the first 24 hours after getting the injury, you should do everything possible to slow the flow of blood to the tissues in the problem area. For this purpose, cold compresses are applied regularly, after which the area of the heel is squeezed by an elastic bandage.
- Approximately 2-3 days on the bruise begin to act warm compresses. The latter contribute to the prompt removal of frozen blood from tissues, eliminate pain syndrome. As medical solutions, heparin, "Traumeel", "Ibuprofen", and other preparations that reduce puffiness are additionally used here.
- Gels like "Lyoton" and "Troxevasin" are quite effective in treating contusions. To apply them is recommended in combination with "Dimexide" - a preparation that improves the absorbing capacity of the skin and ensures the speedy penetration of the above funds into the deep tissues.
Treatment of a heel bruise using traditional medicine
Promotes early restoration after trauma also using folk remedies. Among the most effective recipes, it is worth noting first of all the imposition of an alcohol compress. For its preparation, it is enough to take a gauze dressing, moisten it with strong alcohol and place it on the heel. To avoid rapid evaporation of the active substance, the bandage should be covered with a plastic bag. Repeat the procedure is recommended several times a day until the pain disappears completely.
Elimination of accidental or sports injuries will allow the use of cabbage leaves. The latter must be slightly kneaded until a barely visible juice appears on the surface. After this, the sheets must be applied to the bruised area, fixing with an elastic bandage. This method allows you to quickly remove puffiness and restore normal blood circulation at the site of damage. 
The above properties have a boiled string bean, which must be well kneaded and put on the bruised heel. This gruel should be covered with parchment and fixed with a gauze bandage.
In conclusion
As you can see, it is not easy to overcome the pain in the heel. The treatment here is aimed at removing edemas, eliminating subcutaneous hemorrhages, returning limb mobility. To avoid such problems, it is necessary to resort to the use of specialized equipment during sports, avoid jumping from a significant height, and remain attentive when traveling over difficult terrain.