How long should bruises last for?

Had a stack last sunday, landed on timber deck and put a nice bruise on my hip (also broke my helmet, bruised shoulder, knee etc). Most of the bruising has gone but my hip is still a nice colour and REALLY sensitive, even sitting in the car is painful because of the raised sides to the seat. Cant sleep either because I tend to roll onto that side which wakes me up each time (also cant fondle the missus as shes that side of the bed which is equally frustrating).

Dont remember being this sore for this long before – any experiences to share / sympathy / remedies?

If it remains sore (and you’re not beign a wimp) for more than a week I’d probably consult a doc, even my worst bruises rarely last more than a week or so. That said, my other half had bruises from the alps that were still just visible a month later!

Rubbing your bruise helps it be broken down and carried away. Other than that there’s little you can do.

Depends how old you are.
My skin never used to show bruises. Now they last for days.
My ol’ Nan used to bruise if you just touched her arm and it would stay black for weeks!

I’m ‘over 40’ – came off my road bike 3-4 months ago and banged my hip. Sensitivity and pain when knocked lasted a couple of weeks – still got some vestigal bruising/scarring under the skin.

When I broke my hip (same one but about 5 years ago) bruising took about 3 months to fully fade.

I’ve had deep bruising that has taken 3 – 4 months to heal and that was in my early twenties. After a while the darker colours go and it takes on a yellowy golden colour, the skin becomes shiny and the bruise takes on a kind of plastic feeling under the skin which takes an age to go away.

I’ve had some bruises from paintball that have taken at least 3 weeks to go, perhaps a bit more.
I always find that if you land on a hard bit like a hip, where there isn’t a thick layer of flesh, the bruising lasts longer and the area stays sorer than if you bruise something like a thigh.

Oh well looks like the missus is out of luck for a while yet (if only!)

I had a massive bruise on my hip when my brakes failed on my old bike on a really gritty ride around Dalbeattie. It swelled up by a good few inches and was very painful. I was persuaded to go to casualty when it swelled up, but they did the initial assessment and basically said ‘if you walked in here, then you haven’t broken anything’, so I just left.

It was painful and swollen for a good few weeks I seem to remember. I never tried it but maybe some of those ibuprofen gels applied to it could be good?

Try Arnica for bruising – I’ve found it has really helped in the past. Alternatively arnica cream.