We’ve all banged our foot on something hard at one point in our life, and odds are you had the bruise to prove it for a couple of days afterwards. Bruising is a natural result of trauma to an area that results in the breaking of small blood vessels that leak blood into the tissue beneath the skin, and while it oftentimes resolves as your body goes through the healing process, you shouldn’t always just ignore a bruise. In today’s blog, we explain some signs that suggest you should have foot bruising examined by a specialist.
When To Get A Foot Bruise Examined?
If any or all of the following statements are true, it’s probably best to head into urgent care or connect with a foot specialist to have the foot examined:
Developed Without Acute Trauma – We expect bruises to form after absorbing direct trauma to the area, so if you’re dealing with the formation of a bruise that seemingly developed out of nowhere, it’s best to head to a physician’s office to figure out what’s going on in your foot. Unexpected bleeding should be addressed sooner rather than later.
Growing – It’s not uncommon for a bruise to get a little bigger in the first 24-48 hours after trauma, but if it has grown significantly in size, or the bruise keeps slowing getting larger instead of dissipating, you might want to have the injury assessed by a professional.
Accompanied By Other Significant Symptoms – If you’re dealing with a foot bruise, you’re probably also dealing with some pain and discomfort in the area. That’s not typically a huge deal, but if more serious symptoms are present, consider connecting with a physician. If the injury is causing gait abnormalities, if it’s accompanied by significant swelling or you’re also dealing with numbness and foot weakness, head in for a professional diagnosis.
You Want To Learn More – Sometimes you don’t need any specific reason to seek out a professional opinion other than you simply want to learn more about the injury and the best options for treatment. If you’re on the fence about seeking treatment, or you want to confirm a diagnosis, err on the side of caution and seek out a consultation with a foot specialist. You don’t need to be dealing with severe symptoms to seek care for an injury.
Foot bruising could simply just be a response to moderate trauma, or it could be suggesting that a more severe injury lies beneath, and proactive treatment is warranted. If you’re concerned about your foot bruising or you simply want to learn more about your injury, take a couple of minutes and set up an appointment with a provider in your area. For more information about foot bruising or similar foot injuries, connect with Dr. Silverman and his team today!