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Bruised Muscles

Scottish Rugby taking part in three matches in the Autumn Internationals here in Edinburgh this month got us thinking about sport injuries. Aside from muscle strain, muscle contusion is the most common injury suffered by players of impact sport. Muscle contusions are caused by blunt force, in sport this tends to affect muscles such as the Quadriceps. The force of the impact causes rupture to the muscle fibres leading to haematoma (the accumulation of blood due to damaged blood vessels) and inflammation. Injuries can range from mild to severe and symptoms include, swelling, stiffness, bruising, and potential loss of motion. This specimen highlights three muscle sections, the darker areas showing bruising.