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How Can I Treat a Bruised Hip?

Jennifer Leigh
Jennifer Leigh

A bruised hip is a painful injury that can be treated in a variety of ways. It is important to attempt to treat the bruise as soon as possible to avoid having it becoming a worse injury over time. Remedies such as ice, heat, rest and exercise can help the hip return to normal as quickly as it can depending on the extent of the injury. In certain cases, professional help may be needed to determine if the injury is something more than a bruised hip. These injuries can be dangerous for the elderly and often occur during athletic activity.

Immediately after the injury occurs, place ice on the bruised hip for 15 minutes. Placing a towel underneath the ice pack can help prevent ice burns or too much numbness in the area. The sooner the ice is placed on the hip after the injury occurs, the better, as the ice can help keep the bruise from becoming worse.

Hip bruises are common among athletes.
Hip bruises are common among athletes.

After the injury has been iced, it is important you give it time to rest, recover and heal. This means no activity that is too physical until the bruised hip feels normal again. Applying a padded bandage to the bruise can help prevent it from getting bumped into, which can keep it from healing properly. If the bruise is particularly painful, it might be necessary for the afflicted individual to spend some down time recovering without a lot of movement.

Gentle exercising may help relieve a bruised hip.
Gentle exercising may help relieve a bruised hip.

Heat can be applied during the time of rest by utilizing a heating pad or hot water bottle. This does not do very much to heal the bruise but can temporarily relax the area and help alleviate pain. Once the bruised hip begins to recover, do exercises to facilitate healing such as lying on your back and pulling the knee gently towards the chest. Another exercise involves standing up and pulling the knee with the injured hip towards the opposite side of the chest.

A bruised hip may require medical attention.
A bruised hip may require medical attention.

If the bruise is causing excessive pain or is not healing properly, it might be necessary to see a physician about the injury. He will be able to determine if the bruise is something greater. After the bruise heals to the point that stretching exercises do not hurt, the injured individual can begin walking, running or using light weights to help regain strength in the area. After the bruise has fully healed, he or she can return to normal activities such as sports.

Discussion Comments

nextcorrea

I slipped on some ice a few days ago and came down hard on my hip. There is now a pretty nasty looking bruise there and quite a bit of soreness. But everyday it starts to feel a little better. I can just wait it out right? I would not need to see a doctor about something like this would I?

JaneAir

@eidetic - I think a lot of people have trouble taking it easy after an injury, but it really is necessary for the healing process. I think it's equally important to treat the bruise by icing it as soon as you hurt yourself though. The last time I had a bruise and didn't ice it right away, it ended up being a really awful bruise.

eidetic

I used to do aerial acrobatics (you know, circus stuff like the silks and the aerial hoop) and I bruised my hip pretty badly once. However, I was anxious to get back to my classes, I definitely went back before I should have.

I ended up injuring myself even worse by not taking enough time to rest. In turn, I had to take more time off than I would have if I had just taken time off like I was supposed to in the first place.

sunnySkys

@Monika - I never thought about how easy it would be to hit your hip on things during the course of a day, but it seems like a very real risk. For instance, I was on the subway the other day and I ended up having to stand. Several people knocked into me while I was standing up. If I'd had a bruised hip, it would have been very, very painful.

Monika

I think a padded bandage is essential for a bruised hip. I fell in a really awkward way and bruised my hip a little while ago. I put ice on it and took pain relievers, but I didn't bandage my hip up in any way.

For the next few days, I kept banging my hip against various things. I've never been so conscious of how clumsy I am in my life. It was awful, and I feel like the bruise would have healed a lot quicker if I'd just put some kind of padding on it. So learn a lesson from me and use a padded bandage.

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    • Hip bruises are common among athletes.
      By: Olexandr
      Hip bruises are common among athletes.
    • Gentle exercising may help relieve a bruised hip.
      By: ISO K° - photography
      Gentle exercising may help relieve a bruised hip.
    • A bruised hip may require medical attention.
      By: WavebreakmediaMicro
      A bruised hip may require medical attention.
    • A hot water bottle, which can help with a bruised hip.
      By: simmittorok
      A hot water bottle, which can help with a bruised hip.
    • An ice pack, which can help with pain from a bruised hip.
      By: Marc Dietrich
      An ice pack, which can help with pain from a bruised hip.
    • Superficial bruises usually heal quickly.
      By: roblan
      Superficial bruises usually heal quickly.