I really didn't get to understand the science about bruising until I began work as a Police Officer. In that line of work bruises are important evidence. They can help identify a weapon, a hand, a bootprint, timeframe, and many other factors. The color will change over time as the bruise heals.
• It’s usually red right after the injury.
• Within a day or two, it turns purplish or black and blue.
• In 5 to 10 days, it may be green or yellow.
• In 10 to 14 days, it’s yellowy-brown or light brown.
It should fade away totally in about 2 weeks.
Bruises and the world of SCA Heavy Fighting go hand in hand. Just like any other impact sport, it's going to happen. So how do you deal with it?
First TAKE A PICTURE! You know you want to show it to everyone. This is my first SCA bruise so yes I had to include it to show off. Wear them with pride, you earned them.
Ok on the medical side. Im not an RN, but did spend the night in at a Holiday Inn. No seriously, I did have a little bit of medical training. Was lucky enough to spend some time as a CNA and ER Tech at UT Medical center. So the basics about bruises. It's essentially a bleed under the skin.
Most bruises heal on their own without any intervention needed. Here is a link to everyone's favorite self-diagnosis tool.
Follow the guidelines in the article if you think you need to seek medical assistance for an extreme bruise. But for your basic bruise, there are three things you can do to help speed the healing process.
First is ice it. An ice pack, a bag of frozen veggies, whatever. Just forget the steak, save it for dinner.
Second, elevate it. Keep the injured area above the heart to help keep blood from flowing to the injury.
Third, rest it. Remember its a bleed. Keep exercising it and blood keeps flowing to the injury. So take it easy there Rambo.
If you want a clever acronym that works for many other simple sports injuries remember
P.R.I.C.E.
So now you have your bruise. You've treated it and of course, shown your friends. If your friends happen to be your peers in the SCA they may be able to help you learn how you earned that bruise.
I recently watched a video by Duke Tomuki. Check out the link.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5oBqilZFiw&list=PLvFr2ZYNH7yiIMZb19eUFQbD6z0vfygu2&index=18&t=1854s
I also added it to my SCA Heavy Fighting Youtube list.
In this video, he talks about disconnecting your shield hand from your body. You seasoned guys will think this elementary. But at about 29 minutes into the video, he demonstrates how your shield moves when you rotate your body while striking. If you don't make the effort to keep your shield stationary it will move with the body and create a large gap right up your middle.
Minute 29 was one of those lightbulb moments. It also gave an excellent explanation of how I got that bruise pictured above. I went in for a strike, opened the shield door, and the counterstrike walked right in.
So, learn from those cool purple/blue/green/yellow badges of honor. Pain can be a powerful teacher. And like evidence at a crime scene, bruises tell a story.
Again thanks for reading and I leave you with this.
"A bruise is a lesson... and each lesson makes us better."
-George R. R. Martin
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