Bruises are discolored areas on your skin that typically appear blue-green or blue-black. Some individuals, especially women, are more likely to bruise than other people. Bruising can occur during mild or intense exercise and can be accompanied by swelling, inflammation and pain. Bruising during exercise is not typically dangerous and will usually subside at home with treatment.
Definition
Bruising can occur after exercise if you experience a physical blow or come into contact with an object or person while exercising. This injury causes the blood vessels beneath the skin to break. A bruise appears when your body reabsorbs the blood. Bruising can also develop if you tear or damage ligaments, cartilage, muscles, bones or tendons in the body while working out for long periods of time, increasing the intensity of your routine before your body is physically ready or fail to warm up and cool down. The process of aging also weakens the blood vessels and thins the skin, making you more likely to bruise during exercise.
Help
Hold a cool compress such as an ice pack wrapped in a cloth against the bruise to help contract the blood vessels underneath, which can reduce swelling and the appearance of the bruise. If the bruise occurs on one of your extremities, such as your leg, elevate it to help reduce the flow of blood. Take an over-the-counter medicine like acetaminophen if you experience pain at the bruise site.
Considerations
Although you cannot completely prevent bruises from occurring, you can help avoid them by protecting your body parts when exercising. Wear proper equipment, such as shin guards, helmets and knee and elbow pads, when participating in exercises such as bike riding, inline skating and hockey. Protective gear can not only help prevent bruising, it can potentially save you from more serious injuries like broken bones or even death.
Tips
Some medications like clopidogrel and aspirin can prevent your blood from clotting and can cause more of it to leak out when you are injured during exercise, making it easier to bruise or causing the bruise to appear larger. In addition, corticosteroids can thin the skin and make it easier for bruises to occur during exercise. Talk to your doctor instead of just discontinuing your medications if you notice an increase in bruising. He can suggest alternate medications or exercises.
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