Injuries are an unfortunate and almost unavoidable side effect of playing football. According to the National Center for Sports Safety, football injuries are the second-most common type of sports-related injury in the U.S., behind only basketball. Playing with an injury in football, whether it's a bruised tibia bone or a fractured finger, is less a question of can you play and more a question how effective will you be.
Bone Bruise
Bone bruises typically are a result of direct blows to the bone from an outside object or person, according to the National Institutes of Health. Football is a prime example of a contact sport in which bone bruises can happen frequently. Identification of a bone bruise by an untrained eye can be difficult, as the only signs are bleeding and swelling around the sight of the bruise. The bone itself does not incur any fracture or break; however, bone bruises are considered to be the most painful of all bruise types.
Tibia Location
The tibia is the large bone that runs down the front of your leg, from your knee to your foot. The tibia also is commonly referred to as the shin bone. Standing, walking and running all put a tremendous amount of pressure on the tibia bone, which makes playing any sport with a tibia bruise incredibly difficult for pain reasons alone. Fractures of the tibia bone often are followed by months of walking on crutches, and screws sometimes are put into the bone to improve immobilization.
Positions
Playing football with a bruised tibia is absolutely possible, the only real question is whether you will be able to play through the pain. One factor that might contribute to the amount of pain involved is your position on the team. If you play a relatively sedentary position like quarterback, you might be able to go through a good majority of the game without putting all of your body weight on your injured leg. A more physical position like linebacker would be exceedingly difficult to play with a bruised tibia, as your role on the field is to constantly be driving with both legs with full force into opposing players. Due to the physical nature of the position, a linebacker also is much more likely to be hit in the lower leg than a quarterback, who will sometimes go an entire game without being tackled. Regardless of your position, consult with your doctor or trainer before suiting up and actually playing.
Treatment and Prevention
Swelling can be reduced by icing the bruise for 15 to 20 minutes every two hours. This should be done for the first 48 hours post-injury. Pain and inflammation also can be reduced via non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs like ibuprofen. Consult with your primary care physician before treating a bone bruise with any home remedies. Preventing tibia bruises in football is extremely difficult, especially considering that the tibia is one of only a few bones that are not protected with some sort of padding. The only real prevention method is to train yourself to be constantly aware of people and objects flying at your lower body.
