Featuring Dr. Larissa Roux, MD, MPH, PhD, CCFP, Dip Sport Med
Muscle Contusion - Hockey
Duration: 1 minute, 51 seconds

A muscle contusion is essentially a really bad bruise of the muscle.

It's the result of bleeding in the muscle fibers or between the tissue planes themselves. It is associated with a great degree of inflammation and in hockey, it can be the result of a direct blow either from equipment or a collision with another player.

It's really important to address this particular problem right away because the bleeding and the ensuing spasms that can occur needs to be stopped.

This can be achieved through bandaging or bracing of, in the case of the anterior thigh bracing the knee joint in deep flection to compress the muscle.

As well, applying the regular protocol of rest, ice compression, elevation would be ideal, and avoiding anything that can stimulate further bleeding. This would include heat, ingestion of alcohol, massage or ultrasound.

Once the bleeding is controlled, it's really important for an athlete to seek the help of a physiotherapist, to make sure that range of motion and strength is regained.

It's also really important to consider padding - protective padding - over the injured muscle as reinjury rates can be quite high. And there's a potential for a very important long term complication - that being myositis ossificans, that refers to a calcification of the site of bleeding in the muscle. This happens three to four months after the initial muscle injury.

If you have further questions please consult your primary care sports medicine physician.

Presenter: Dr. Larissa Roux, Sports Medicine Physician, Vancouver, BC

Local Practitioners: Sports Medicine Physician