Have you been noticing bruises on legs for no reason lately? If yes, then the following article will help you find out the cause behind it. Identifying the cause can help design the treatment.
While you are exercising or may be trying to kick-start your bike, you may notice bruising on legs sometimes. But, unexplained bruises tend to become a worrisome discovery. You just need to pinpoint the correct cause to treat your condition.
What Causes Bruises on Legs?
When tiny blood vessels called capillaries break, burst or develop a slight leak under the skin, it may cause unexplained bruising. Most of the time, bruises appear after one bangs or hits oneself to something hard. The bleeding under the skin causes a red or bluish purplish mark on your skin. As the mark fades away, it forms different shades of green or yellow bruises. A bruise is also called a contusion or ecchymosis. Bruising does not mean you have injured your skin, sometimes, the injury is deep within the muscles and tissues. It may be a bit painful and generally lasts for about 2 weeks. Let us have a look at some of the causes of easy bruising on legs for no reason.
Inadequate Fat Layer
Body fat plays an important role in protecting you from bruises. If you have a thin or inadequate body fat layer, even a slightest bump may cause bruises on legs. Many people lack an adequate layer of fat on their arms as well as legs. Fat cushions cover an impact on the body and prevent bruises. If there is not enough fat layer, one is easily bruised. Thus, you may never realize which causal bump lead to bruises. Thus many thin people, children as well as old people are more prone to bruising for no apparent reason.
Von Willebrand Disease
Von Willebrand disease is a very rare genetic disorder that may cause bruises for no reasons. About 1% of the population suffers from this condition. The blood cannot clot properly and the person suffers from excessive bleeding of the nose as well as gums. These people are also prone to unexplained bruising for no reason. The symptoms are very mild in some cases and the condition goes unnoticed. Desmopressin is a medication used for treatment of Von Willebrand disease.
Purpura Simplex
Another reason can be purpura simplex. In this condition, the blood vessels are prone to breakage and cause easy bruising on legs. The blood vessels can break for no reason without any apparent injury or exercise. This condition is known as a vascular disorder and is more common in women. Bruises for no reason that are red and on the thighs and calves may be due to purpura simplex.
Acanthosis Nigricans
Acanthosis nigricans is a condition that explains the relation between diabetes and unexplained bruises. Diabetics may observe brown or black patches on their skin especially on the folds and creases around the knee joint, groin, armpits and neck. This occurs due to hyperpigmentation due to presence of excess insulin. The insulin spills into the skin, especially in people with Type II diabetes. If you still are not diagnosed with diabetes, you should watch out for other signs, these include excessive thirst, fatigue, frequent infections, and blurred vision. If these symptoms are present along with small bruises, get yourself tested for diabetes.
Thrombocytopenia
This is a condition where the body’s ability to form normal blood clots is compromised. There are many conditions, that could lead to this condition. It can either be an inherited disorder, acquired after birth or due to prolonged condition of paralysis. One may observe clots in the legs that appear red. It may even lead to skin discoloration and bruising of the affected area of the leg.
Other Causes
Medications like aspirin, ibuprofen, non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and birth control pills may also increase chances of developing unexplained bruising. There are many underlying health problems that may cause easy bruising. Some of these medical conditions that cause bruises for no reason are:
- Marfan’s syndrome
- Ehlers-Danlos syndrome
- Scurvy
- Multiple Myeloma
- Hemophilia
- Leukemia
- Hodgkin’s Disease
- Lupus
- Sepsis
If you observe yellow bruises on legs, it means your bruise is fading out. You must have developed a bruise a few days back and noticed it after it turned yellow. You can apply an ice pack or cold compress on your bruises to control the swelling. Heat compress also works fine in curing a bruise.
If you observe bruises that are unusually large and painful, speak to a doctor. Also, if your bruise does not heal after 4 weeks of appearance, you should seek medical advise.
Disclaimer: This HealthHearty article is for informative purposes only, and should not be used as a replacement for expert medical advice.
