# What medicine do I take for a bone bruise? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 28, 2010, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-medicine-do-i-take-for-a-bone-bruise/541076 "2010-05-28T15:42:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Sir\_T-Cups](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Sir\_T-Cups](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_T-Cups)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2010, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-medicine-do-i-take-for-a-bone-bruise/541076/1 "2010-05-28T15:42:24Z")
I was at a bar last night and was kneeling in front of some stools. Somebody startled me so I fell back and my elbow pinballed up and down in the connecting joints of the stool. It really really hurts because the only things that hit were the bones. What OTC medicine would be best for this? Aleve? Tylonal? Advil? Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Chief\_Pedant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a6a055/32.png) [@Chief\_Pedant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chief_Pedant)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2010, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-medicine-do-i-take-for-a-bone-bruise/541076/2 "2010-05-28T16:30:02Z")
> [@Sir\_T-Cups](#): > > Aleve? Tylonal? Advil? Yes. All of those are fine choices for pain, although I obviously cannot make a comment about the nature of your specific injury. ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2010, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-medicine-do-i-take-for-a-bone-bruise/541076/3 "2010-05-28T17:17:12Z")
Ice, ice, baby. Seriously, wrap some ice cubes in a dish towel or something and numb 'er up. ---
**Author:** ![irishgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/8edcca/32.png) [@irishgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/irishgirl)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2010, 8:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-medicine-do-i-take-for-a-bone-bruise/541076/4 "2010-05-29T08:16:12Z")
Are you sure it is just a bruise? As you have already alluded to the elbow doesn’t have a lot of protective cushioning between the bones and the skin, so it is quite easy to cause fractures. An Xray might be a good idea. Non Steroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs like Naproxen, Diclofenac and Ibuprofen reduce pain and inflammation, but can irritate the stomach. Aspirin reduces pain, but not inflammation, it also thins the blood and irritates the stomach. Paracetamol (acetominophen) reduces pain but not inflammation, but doesn’t irritate the stomach as much as either aspirin or NSAIDs. After an Xray to exclude a fracture, choose whichever pain medication has previously worked well for you without causing you significant side effects, or whichever medication has been recommended by your doctor. Seriously- if you’ve bruised your elbow badly enough to consider taking painkillers you need it looked at to make sure that a bruise is all you’re dealing with. ---
**Author:** ![JoeH2O](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@JoeH2O](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JoeH2O)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2010, 10:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-medicine-do-i-take-for-a-bone-bruise/541076/5 "2010-05-29T10:56:06Z")
Percocet will take care of that for you, but that might be showing up to a knife fight with crossbow. Like other posters have suggested, I would get it looked at by a doctor or your practice nurse. Even if it isn’t seriously fractured, you may have suffered a hairline one or even chipped a piece of bone and that can hurt severely. Ibuprofen will help some in the meantime to bring any swelling down, but I would also take some paracetemol. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2010, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-medicine-do-i-take-for-a-bone-bruise/541076/6 "2010-05-29T15:13:59Z")
> [@Chief\_Pedant](#): > > Yes. All of those are fine choices for pain, although I obviously cannot make a comment about the nature of your specific injury. Would it help if posted a picture of his stool? ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2010, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-medicine-do-i-take-for-a-bone-bruise/541076/7 "2010-05-29T17:31:47Z")
> [@irishgirl](#): > > … the elbow doesn’t have a lot of protective cushioning between the bones and the skin, so it is quite easy to cause fractures. … Damage to the superficial [olecranon](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olecranon) [bursa](http://www.joint-pain-expert.net/olecranon-bursitis.html) too (?). CMC fnord! Just did this myself two weeks ago :smack:. So the new word for that week was olecranon! ---
**Author:** ![KarlGauss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karlgauss/32/3713_2.png) [@KarlGauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGauss)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2010, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-medicine-do-i-take-for-a-bone-bruise/541076/8 "2010-05-29T18:20:30Z")
> [@irishgirl](#): > > . . . Aspirin reduces pain, but not inflammation . . . I’m gonna disagree with this. For decades, the only anti-inflammatory that people with, say, rheumatoid arthritis, had was aspirin. And it worked (but those ulcers, wow!) In any case, [here’s a cite](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mechanism_of_action_of_aspirin) (just Wiki, but it’ll do). ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2010, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-medicine-do-i-take-for-a-bone-bruise/541076/9 "2010-05-29T19:55:42Z")
I certainly concur with **KarlGauss** that aspirin is a potent anti-inflammatory drug, being not just an irreversible inhibitor of COX 1 but also a good COX 2 inhibitor (which reduces inflammation). But I really popped in to mention that NSAIDs like aspirin and ibuprofen and naproxen and others don’t reduce inflammation with a single dose or three. It generally takes regular dosing for up to 2 weeks before its anti-inflammatory effects kick in. ---
**Author:** ![irishgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/8edcca/32.png) [@irishgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/irishgirl)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2010, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-medicine-do-i-take-for-a-bone-bruise/541076/10 "2010-05-29T20:20:21Z")
Sorry I had myself muddled (this is what happens when you try to post and look after an infant simultaneously)- aspirin is a good anti-inflammatory and a fairly poor analgesic (a memorable study in the 1970s found red placebo pills to be as effective as white aspirin tablets for pain relief). ---
**Author:** ![ToeJam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dfb087/32.png) [@ToeJam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ToeJam)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2010, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-medicine-do-i-take-for-a-bone-bruise/541076/11 "2010-05-30T04:42:54Z")
Phew… i was going to make the comment about Aspirin, being an anti-inflammatory agent at higher doses and such, but realized I don’t really have any credibility- thanks for the information guys! ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2010, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-medicine-do-i-take-for-a-bone-bruise/541076/12 "2010-05-30T05:08:55Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > I certainly concur with **KarlGauss** that aspirin is a potent anti-inflammatory drug, being not just an irreversible inhibitor of COX 1 but also a good COX 2 inhibitor (which reduces inflammation). > > But I really popped in to mention that NSAIDs like aspirin and ibuprofen and naproxen and others don’t reduce inflammation with a single dose or three. It generally takes regular dosing for up to 2 weeks before its anti-inflammatory effects kick in. I take a kick-ass anti-inflammatory (Arthrotec) for my frozen shoulder when it acts up (or, more accurately, when I’ve tried to do too much), and as directed by my doctor, I only use it for a day or two and it seems to clear things up - is that the difference a stronger drug makes, or am I just kidding myself that my shoulder is better after a couple of days? ---
**Author:** ![irishgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/8edcca/32.png) [@irishgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/irishgirl)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2010, 9:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-medicine-do-i-take-for-a-bone-bruise/541076/13 "2010-05-30T09:37:40Z")
Arthrotec is diclofenac and misoprostol- it is indeed a kick ass drug (but can cause miscarriage, so usually isn’t prescribed to women of childbearing age). Plain old diclofenac without the misoprostol works great too, but is rougher on the stomach. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2010, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-medicine-do-i-take-for-a-bone-bruise/541076/14 "2010-05-30T14:06:28Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > I take a kick-ass anti-inflammatory (Arthrotec) for my frozen shoulder when it acts up (or, more accurately, when I’ve tried to do too much), and as directed by my doctor, I only use it for a day or two and it seems to clear things up - is that the difference a stronger drug makes, or am I just kidding myself that my shoulder is better after a couple of days? I’m glad it works so effectively to relieve your pain. NSAIDS like diclofenac do relieve pain within hours of taking them. But it’s unlikely your relief is due to reduced inflammation after taking it for only a day or two. And frankly, there’s really no good evidence to indicate that one NSAID is superior to another in terms of pain relief, either. At least not in general. However, if a patient tells me that one particular NSAID (say for example, sulindac) gives them relief, while another (naproxen) doesn’t, I’ll certainly listen to them and prescribe accordingly. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2010, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-medicine-do-i-take-for-a-bone-bruise/541076/15 "2010-05-31T03:51:23Z")
> [@irishgirl](#): > > Arthrotec is diclofenac and misoprostol- it is indeed a kick ass drug (but can cause miscarriage, so usually isn’t prescribed to women of childbearing age). Plain old diclofenac without the misoprostol works great too, but is rougher on the stomach. I have a bad stomach and no plans to have kids - it works for me. 🙂 > [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > I’m glad it works so effectively to relieve your pain. NSAIDS like diclofenac do relieve pain within hours of taking them. But it’s unlikely your relief is due to reduced inflammation after taking it for only a day or two.\ Hmm, there’s no real reason I can’t take it for longer periods when my shoulder flares up, and maybe I should, to reduce the inflammation. I’ll have to talk to my doctor about this next time I see him.