BruisesMedical Author:
Eileen Toloza, MD
Coauthor:
Jennifer Krawczyk, MD
Medical Editor:
Scott H Plantz, MD, FAAEM
Medical Editor:
Francisco Talavera, PharmD, PhD
Medical Editor:
Jerry R. Balentine, DO, FACEP
Jerry R. Balentine, DO, FACEPDr. Balentine received his undergraduate degree from McDaniel College in Westminster, Maryland. He attended medical school at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine graduating in1983. He completed his internship at St. Joseph's Hospital in Philadelphia and his Emergency Medicine residency at Lincoln Medical and Mental Health Center in the Bronx, where he served as chief resident.
Bruises OverviewA bruise is a common skin injury that results in a discoloration of the skin. Blood from damaged blood vessels deep beneath the skin collects near the surface of the skin resulting in what we think of as a black and blue mark. Viewer Comments & ReviewsBruises - CausesThe eMedicineHealth physician editors ask:What was the cause of your bruise? |
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Bruises
Bicycle Safety Overview
Bicycling is a common means of transportation as well as an increasingly popular source of recreation, exercise, and sport. Nearly 45 million Americans rode a bicycle six times or more in 2008, according to the National Sporting Goods Association.
- Along with increased use of bicycles comes the risk of significant injuries. Bicycle outings result in more than 500,000 visits each year to Emergency Departments, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Injuries attributable to bicycling range from common
abrasions,
cuts, and bruises to broken bones, internal injuries,
head trauma, and even death.
- Almost 700 bicyclists died in 2007, and 43,000 were injured, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
From a statistical standpoint, bicycle riding has a higher death rate per trip or per mile of travel than being a passenger in an automobile.
...
Read What Your Physician is Reading on Medscape
Contusions »
Muscle contusion indicates a direct, blunt, compressive force to a muscle.
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