How to Prevent Pain from a Bruise

I've had quite a few bruises over the years. My childhood was pretty active and I've kept that mentality into adulthood. I hike, dance, take tae kwon do, and am a general klutz.

Basically, I know a thing or two about bruises and how to heal them.

About a year ago my neighbor came to the door asking for advice. Her son had gotten into a fight and didn't want to give the bully the satisfaction of seeing him with a black eye.

I told them what I am about to tell you. When they came to me, I could see the beginnings of the purple outline of the bruise. He woke up the next day with a mild tenderness but absolutely no discoloration.

This is the routine I use now whenever I get a bruise or whenever someone asks me what to do. It's a winning combination!

So, you have a bruise. Perhaps you bumped into something like a door knob or a table (I do it all the time) and feel one forming. Or, maybe you've had a more dramatic injury like falling down. No matter how you got the bruise, the first aid is always the same.

Apply Ice

The very first thing that you should do is apply ice. You can either use an ice pack, cubes of ice in a bag, or you can even grab something like a bag of frozen peas from the freezer. My personal favorite is to use a bag of frozen peas. Ice is a little bit of a pain because it melts. I also find that ice packs don't get cold enough (the ones with the gel inside) but they are good in a pinch.

How long to ice it?

So, how long should you ice a bruise? You'll find that there is a lot of different information out there. Some people say to do it for ten minutes. Others say to do "20 minutes on, 20 minutes off".

I end up doing something in between that. I end up icing it for around 15 minutes. In theory, I will do the 20 minutes on, 20 minutes off routine but find that after the initial application, I tend to ice it around three times a day.

When the bruise first happens, I've been known to apply ice for as long as an hour. I am not sure it is a good thing or not as the typical wisdom says to rotate it. I think everyone needs to do what makes sense for them.

Take a Pain Killer

The best one to take is acetaminophen and Aspirin should be avoided. Aspirin prevents blood from clotting. You can switch to Aspirin a few days after the bruise forms but in general it is best to stick with acetaminophen.

Of course, this is an optional step. It can be really helpful to do if the bruise really hurts. Otherwise, I would just let your body heal it naturally.

There are some natural remedies I swear by. I credit these to being the most helpful in helping to heal a bruise and thereby minimizing pain.

Up Your Intake of Vitamin C

I read somewhere that Vitamin C can help heal bruises so I started upping my intake of vitamin C when the initial injury happens. These days, I don't really take supplements anymore but I do drink tea, eat things, and drink juices. So, I'll eat an orange, drink some orange juice, brew a cup of rosehips tea, and in general up my intake of this vitamin. I figure, it couldn't hurt.

Use Arnica

I keep arnica massage oil on hand as well as the arnica homeopathic remedy. In general, you should never take the arnica herb internally but it is more than fine taking the homeopathic remedy. Also, never apply arnica to broken skin.

Follow the package instructions on how often you can apply arnica to the bruise. For me, I tend to put it on right when the injury happens, in the morning, and before bed. This is what my neighbor used and I think it prevented him from getting a black eye.

Note that I have shared with you my two favorite arnica products in the Amazon section of this page.