Is this bruising a concern?

[SeattleGraceMercyWest]

I’ll try and give as much context as it’s a little random!

I did my first skydive last Thursday, 8000ft tandem jump. All good and landed correctly (as in, the bottom takes the hit on the land, not the legs).

As soon as I stood up, I had a cramp-like pain in my calf. Over the next 24 hours it was very painful, and I couldn’t put any weight on it. I put it down to something like a pulled /strained muscle. No swelling, no bruising, it wasn’t hot to touch.

By the weekend, and with lots of massage, it started to ease and I could walk. Still stiff, and in certain positions it’s very tight and painful.

Today I’ve woken up and I have this weird line of bruising on my leg - hopefully picture attached. The pain / stiffness hasn’t changed. Still no swelling, it’s not hot to touch. The bruise is on the front of the leg, but the pain is on the back of the leg.

Should I be concerned, do I need to get it checked out? Or would that just be going to the GP because of a bruise?! 😂

Book a GP appointment if you're worried. If the calf pain hasn't gone away and the bruising has changed, I think it needs checking out.

Or nip into a pharmacy first and see what they say.

Thanks. It’s not so much that the bruising has changed - it’s completely new this morning.

If you are still having pain, I’d take yourself to a minor injuries unit that has an x-ray. I don’t think the GP would be much use because they can’t see what’s going on inside your leg and would need to refer you for an x-ray anyway, which would take a couple weeks.

I'd probably go to the Dr's with a new bruise, sky dive though braver than I ever could be !

Update!

I saw a pharmacist who said go straight to A&E… that seemed a little alarmist so I tried 111. They advised minor injuries, but straight away.

Within less than 3 hours I had an x-ray to rule out stress fracture, and an ultrasound to check for anything nasty. All came back clear, so likely to be a torn muscle unless anything else changes. They have no real idea on the oddness of the bruise!

Least it isn't anything serious.

Interesting - the lower limb has ‘compartments’ and I wonder if the sudden deceleration made something bleed deep inside (early pain in calf) and the blood seeped to surface along the compartment boundary over the next couple of days - hence very specific bruise. Glad the check over didn’t reveal anything else!