Need some rather specific Gracilis advice

[Steve Hill]

Rip,

Tore it in my right leg playing Turkey day football with friend (we've been doing this for 30 years now on the Saturday after Thanksgiving).

Not complaining - following Bill Starr's advice as you related in the thread where you discussed your torn gracilis.

In any event, here's the specific question:

I'm having a problem, not from the pain of the muscle while lifting (or at any other time, I'm not a pussy), but what is most irritating about the injury is that the blood from the trauma seems to have run down the leg between the fascia and the muscle, and has deposited at the bottom of the muscle right where it inserts in the inside of the knee. Any advice on how to deal with this? It's painful to the touch, which is not bad - I just don't touch it. Until it started getting itchy as all fuck, and swollen enough to hurt when I get on the motorcycle. Will wrapping it with, say, an ace bandage do anything to help? Insight or related curmudgeonly experience would be most welcome.

Thanks,

Steve

[Mark Rippetoe]

It may need to be aspirated if there's enough of it there. I'd get it looked at.

[TPrewittMD]

Be careful with too much intervention on a hematoma.

When you stick needles into these things, you often don't get out much liquid blood. And by instrumenting something like this, you may get it infected, making matters much worse.

For an injury like this, I would be surprised that there is enough to make a difference.

I have dealt with hematomas from surgery, blunt trauma, other injuries, and most of these will resolve spontaneously. But Rip may be right, and if you are not getting better, certainly get it looked at.

See a general surgeon for this, and let us know what happens.

[Steve Hill]

Since initially posting this, things have calmed down. No additional blood, and it looks like whats there is starting to go away.

Still tender, and still itchy as all fuck though.