Muscle Abscess

This type of injury can be complicated by a serious condition called compartment syndrome, in which increased pressure within the muscle causes decreased blood supply to the entire limb, threatening its vitality. This is why it is very important to treat this type of injury in a timely manner and to assess its evolution. Further physical therapy is especially important for the athlete. Eating quality proteins, such as lean meat, or grains, such as lentils, helps regenerate muscle damage. If you see an intramuscular hematoma like the one in the image, you should evaluate the circulation of the limb. The easiest way is to look at the capillary filling, which is how fast the blood fills the nail bed. All you have to do is press a little on the nail and release to observe how long it takes to fill up again. The filling time should take less than 2 seconds.

Capillary filling is the result of circulation through the entire limb. It is a simple test that provides a lot of information. If the capillary filling takes too long and the nail bed looks pale, it is important to seek help because there may be vascular involvement from the swelling in the muscle.

Muscle abscess is another complication that can occur after an intra-muscular hematoma. However, in addition to traumatic causes, there may be muscular bruising due to infection, especially in diabetic patients, HIV positive patients, and those who, for whatever reason, have a decreased immune system. All muscle abscesses require intravenous antibiotic therapy for at least a few days to prevent necrosis of the nearby tissues. When I worked in Amazonas, I had the opportunity to treat several patients with this pathology, caused by snakebite. When they went out hunting at night, it was not uncommon for them to suffer minor attacks from some animals. In these cases, depending on the symptoms, I would inject corticosteroids, and begin therapy with antibiotics for three days. I would then continue with oral Ciprofloxacin 500 mg, every 12 hours for 10 days. I never had to attend to a poisonous snake bite, but I always had antiophidic serum so I don’t think it would have been a major problem.