# Sub-periosteal Hematoma



## rottenweiler (Apr 16, 2009)

Ok so I was riding a couple weeks ago and my horse refused a jump and I fell off. Mainly, I wasn't hurt...but I believe the horse accidentally kicked me with one of his back legs as I hit the ground. Nobody's fault here (everyone always replies 'I'm sure he didn't mean it' when I say that) In any case, with most injuries I don't know how much they hurt until later...within an hour or so. But after this fall I immediately knew my shin hurt. Not like it was broken or anything, but I knew it had been 'bumped' because it was immediately sore. I was ok for the last couple weeks but this past week when I went to ride, it was painful. Just painful to the touch, like I would expect to see a big bruise there but there isn't it's just sore. Unfortunately it's in an area that, when I ride, the stirrup leather occassionally bumps it. Plus my boots, half chaps etc put pressure on it so it's sore. My instructor said this past lesson I wasn't riding well, she could tell something was off and said I shouldn't ride if my leg is sore because it's not good for me or for the horse. So I've been looking online and I think this 'sub-periosteal hematoma' is what happened to my leg...but all the info on it isn't really specific. It just says it can take weeks or months to heal. I was just wondering if anyone has any experience with this kind of injury? I'm wondering if I can just 'suck it up' and still ride or will that make it worse? I don't have insurance and my leg is definitely not broken. Also this injury cannot be diagnosed with an xray or anything so I don't really see the point in going to the dr.
so this is what I found online:
A sub-periosteal hematoma is a collection of blood located underneath the protective membranous layer on bones called the periosteum. This occurs as a result of direct force trauma against a bone, typically in one of the lower extremities.
The periosteum is a thick, fibrous membrane that covers and helps nourish our bones. It is very vascular, meaning is has a large blood supply to it, so when there is a traumatic force applied to a bone, like jamming your shin on a coffee table, it can cause bleeding between the membrane and the bone. 
These injuries are seen a bit more often in younger persons mainly because their periosteum is very thick, tough and less likely to tear as one would see in older folks.
Because there is very little space between these structures, there is little room for the blood to spread, so it forms a more localized lump under the periosteum that can take many weeks to months to resolve. This bump can also be quite sore to the touch
Read more: What Is A Bruised Bone? | LIVESTRONG.COM
another website
A heavy blow to a bone will cause a 'bruise on the bone' (= 'sub-periosteal haematoma' = a collection of blood under the skin of the bone). These are extremely sore, and can remain tender for months and years, but they do not affect function (ie. you can still do everything). Occasionally you will find that lumps persist after healing - these are just lumps of scar tissue left from the healing process. They do not matter.


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## Puddintat (Jul 24, 2010)

Interesting. Last fall Dancer accidentally kicked me in the shin and it hurt so bad. I had the hugest lump and it took forever to go away. I wonder if this is what is was. Hope you feel better, soon. Maybe you can get a massage or do it yourself to help heal it. Everytime I've been hurt the best treatment has been massage therapy.


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## keepcalm (Aug 17, 2009)

hmmm, my experience of hematomas is more related to horses  as far as it goes, a hematoma is pretty much a pocket of blood. If it's a hematoma it should be swollen and definitely sore to touch. It should go away on its own as your body breaks down the blood clotting. You can try hot/cold therapy and maybe a little compression (LIGHT pressure) but sadly the real treatment, and certainly the one I'd give to my horses, is rest.

At the same time, you could take say a week off (sometimes the mental break is good for your horse too) and then painkiller yourself before you ride. Not my suggested plan but in reality it's what I would probably do to myself  I have a suspicion you should probably avoid blood thinners too cause they are meant to be able to make it worse. Good luck!


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## rottenweiler (Apr 16, 2009)

Well I did a little more research online and one website suggested increasing your intake of vitamin C and vitamin K (which helps with coagulation) so I'm trying to eat more leafy greens and apply some arnica gel to the area - which is great for bruises and soreness...we'll see


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## NorthernMama (Mar 12, 2008)

Why not go to the doctor just to make sure it's nothing more?


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## Allison Finch (Oct 21, 2009)

Yup, bone bruises hurt like the dickens and you usually have very little to show for it. It will just take some time. Try to avoid aggravating it as it will prolong the healing.


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## xeventer17 (Jan 26, 2009)

NorthernMama said:


> Why not go to the doctor just to make sure it's nothing more?


She doesn't have insurance.


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## NorthernMama (Mar 12, 2008)

xeventer17 said:


> She doesn't have insurance.


Oh, yes. Sorry. I keep forgetting how that works in the US. There are some things I truly don't like in Canada, but one thing I LOVE is that a great deal of health care is covered. Even if you do have to wait for 6 hours, it's still better than none at all.


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## its lbs not miles (Sep 1, 2011)

Don't complain to much about the 6 hour wait to see a doctor. I have insurance and have still waited that long before. Not all the time, but it happens even here.


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## Celeste (Jul 3, 2011)

A visit to the ER would technically cost a fortune; however, they are obligated to treat you and they have no method of forcing payment. To avoid bad credit, you can pay the bill in small increments; say $50 a month. We really need health care for everybody. It is terrible for people to go around sick because the doctor costs so much.


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## rottenweiler (Apr 16, 2009)

Yeah that's one bad thing about working for myself, no insurance. I had it for a while but after a year they started raising my monthly fee, and I wasn't even USING the insurance! It ended up just costing me a lot of money because I still didn't want to go to the dr b/c I would still have my portion of the 'office call' and if I had any tests done I had to meet a certain deductable before it would cover anything anyway. So most of the time I try to figure out whether it will really benefit me to go to the dr. I figure at this point, this injury is a month old so there's nothing they'll do significantly to treat it - unless it was a chipped bone and they'd have to go in and remove a piece or something but I doubt that's it. All the signs point to 'bone bruise' so I'm going to stick with that theory unless it gets worse


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## Wheatermay (Aug 22, 2011)

Not trying to freak u out or anything, but if u have a blood clot in there it could dislodge and you could end up having a stroke or something. I had the same shin injury, and my doc was a little freaked when he seen it. I waited days before my mom made me go, and the doc said I shouldnt have, b/c a knot and bruise like I had is nothing to play around with.

This all depends on how bad ur bruise is... Mine had a huge lump on it, and barely a bruise, but as time passed it started turning PLENTY of pretty colors... 

I know u try to tough it out, but if I was ur friend in real life I'd be telling u the same thing


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## Wheatermay (Aug 22, 2011)

Better safew than sorry is my motto, lol.... when it comes to everyone else but me, hehe....


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## rottenweiler (Apr 16, 2009)

I appreciate the concern but I don't really think that would happen. I really didn't get much bruise, barely a little discoloration about a week after the injury and you can hardly see the lump and it's a month old now


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## SpicedGold (Aug 2, 2011)

If it is a hematoma (and that sounds quite likely) after a month it should be feeling better, but often still tender. the best thing is to keep moving it (walking a lot) so the blood can still flow and disperse. if the stirrup is still hurting it, take the stirrup off the saddle. i rode bareback for six weeks after i broke my toes.

Hematoma usually aren't serious, but they do take forever to heal. if its still bothering you another month down the line, then worry. but the treatment for a hematoma is rest until it doesn't ache, then move about until it goes down.

keep up the vitamins, that'll always help. i put my horse's tendon-gel on mine and it really helped.


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## rottenweiler (Apr 16, 2009)

Thanks for the tips. This week it wasn't as sore as last week and rode quite comfortably. Just my boot, when I bent my ankle, it put pressure there and made it sore


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## corgi (Nov 3, 2009)

My horse accidentally landed on the back of my leg (right above my achilles tendon) as I was leading across a creek bed on April 15th. Like you, it immediately started hurting and was really swollen but not much of a bruise. (My foot ended up bruising badly for about a week and she didn't even touch my foot) I ended up with a very painful lump. I went to the doctor at the end of May and he said it was a very bad hematoma and could take up to a year to completely go away. It is still painful to the touch or if I accidentally bump it and it has been 5 months! 

The doctor said there was really nothing to be done...that it was a traumatic injury and would take time. He suggested a compression stocking to help bring the size of the knot down and ice. I hated the compression stocking. I felt like a invalid with that on and I only wore it for about a week. So, I am just dealing with it and hope that eventually it will go away. Just know that it is going to be with you for a while.


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