I Fell Down and Went Boom...

[Deleted]

At least a week ago, I was leaving the post office carrying a package and tripped on a shoelace. I found myself face down on the concrete sidewalk.

Because of the package, I fell slightly to the left. I skinned both knees, both palms, and my shin, hip, and back were killing me.

At this point, I feel fine again, except my entire shin on my left leg is bruised and keeps swelling up. While the bruise is yellowing and clearly healing, I have an amazing amount of pain in my shin and when it swells up it hurts a lot more.

I've been trying to keep it elevated and decided today I will spend the next few days at home trying to let it rest. 

Why does it keep swelling up and is this normal? I really don't want to deal with going to the MD so they can tell me to elevate and ice it... 

[andi9899]

Maybe you have a fracture. The bruising and discoloration really only means the skin is healing. You may still have a fracture that you can't see. I'd definitely get to the doctor.

[haapai]

I have no idea why it is swelling up but I have a pretty good idea why it looks gruesome.  There isn't a whole lot of flesh between the bone and flesh of your shin, so when you bump it, it does a lot of damage and the resulting bruises take forever to fade.  This also is an area of the body that might not have the best circulation, so healing takes time. 

Back in my cross-country days, minor bruises and shaving accidents on my shins seemed to hang around forever. 

May I suggest google?  If you are laid up for a few days, this might be a good time to do a lot of searching. 

Another thing to consider is whether you have an injury or infection to another part of your leg (knee?) that is somehow showing up or being felt in your shin, 

How badly did you scrape your shin, if at all?  Your post isn't entirely clear about whether the skin on your (left) shin was broken or merely bruised or wrenched.