Pitching for his team, Ian manages to catch a foul ball right in the shoulder. It hits with such force that Ian is sure it has broken the skin! When the team doctor takes a look at Ian, the doctor does not see any blood seeping out but does note that Ian’s shoulder has a big, purple mark on it. How will the treatment of Ian’s wound likely be different since he does not have laceration of the skin?

Question

The doctor will use occlusive dressing on the purple mark to keep the wound from seeping.

The doctor will have Ian use an ice pack to reduce swelling but will not apply a bandage to the wound.

The doctor will tell Ian that there is nothing he can do to treat the skin since it is intact.

The doctor will treat Ian the same, using a bandage to cover and protect the purple area.

Answer 1

The correct approach for treating Ian's injury, given that he does not have a laceration and the skin is intact, would be:

The doctor will have Ian use an ice pack to reduce swelling but will not apply a bandage to the wound.

Since there is no break in the skin, the primary method of treatment would focus on managing the bruise and reducing swelling through the application of ice. Bandaging is generally not necessary for a bruise where the skin remains intact.