(HealthDay News) -- A bruise forms when a ruptured blood vessel causes blood to pool below the skin.
The U.S. National Library of Medicine suggests how to help heal a bruise:
- Apply an ice pack to the area for no more than 15 minutes per hour.
- Elevate the area that's bruised so it's higher than the heart.
- Don't exercise the area of the body that's bruised, so affected muscles have a chance to rest.
- Take Tylenol (acetaminophen) to help alleviate pain.
- Never try to drain the pooled blood by using a needle.
