It is a type of non-penetrating injury caused by a blow, fall or impact on the skin of some strength that does not break the skin or cause open wounds. It may affect one or several muscle groups in the body. The intensity of the blow is low or moderate, generally linked to low speed.
They generally appear because of a direct blow with the blunt surface of a hard object. The most common causes are sports traumas, traffic accidents, occupational accidents and accidents in the home.
Symptoms may vary depending on the type of bruise, which may be painless with some purple tinge of the area, or somewhat painful. It may affect one or several regions of the body (polycontusion).
Diagnosis is clinical, through questioning and physical examination of the injured area.
Treatment is aimed at managing pain and swelling, with local anti-inflammatories and regular painkillers, application of cold packs on the affected area and rest.
- Timothy J Von Fange, MD. Quadriceps muscle and tendon injuries. UpToDate. May 06, 2016.
- Wheeless CR. Quadriceps muscle. In: Wheeless' Textbook of Orthopaedics. Duke Orthopaedics. January 2, 2013. http://www.wheelessonline.com/ortho/quadriceps_muscle (Accessed on August 11, 2014).
- Miller M. Quadriceps contusions and myositis ossificans. In: DeLee & Drez’s Orthopaedic Sports Medicine: Principles and Practices, 3rd ed, DeLee JC, Drez D, Miller MD (Eds), Saunders, Philadelphia 2009. Vol 2, p.1481.
- Greco CC, Da Silva WL, Camarda SR, Denadai BS. Rapid hamstrings/quadriceps strength capacity in professional soccer players with different conventional isokinetic muscle strength ratios. J Sports Sci Med 2012; 11:418.
- Kary JM. Diagnosis and management of quadriceps strains and contusions. Curr Rev Musculoskelet Med 2010; 3:26.
- Crossley K. Anterior knee pain. In: Brukner and Khan's Clinical Sports Medicine, 4th ed, Brukner P, Khan K. (Eds), McGraw-Hill, Australia 2011. p.708.
