A bruised bladder, also known as a contusion, is normally caused by a direct impact to the lower abdomen.
Symptoms
A bladder contusion may occur following a fall, car accident or being hit with a blunt object. Symptoms of a bruised bladder include:
- Sudden pain on impact.
- Pain is felt in the lower stomach area.
- Your abdomen will feel tender and uncomfortable when pressing in (palpating).
- Nausea.
- You may notice blood in your urine.
As well as feeling immediate pain, feeling nauseous and blood in the urine are other signs of this injury.
Medical attention will be needed to judge and monitor the extent of the damage.
Anatomy
The bladder is a muscular sac located in the pelvis, just above and behind the pubic bone.
Urine is made in the kidneys and travels down two tubes called ureters to the bladder where it is stored. The bladder is lined by layers of muscle tissue that allow it to expand and stretch to hold between 400-600 mL of urine.
Treatment
Seek medical attention immediately. A doctor will assess the patient and may order investigations such as CT scans or ultrasounds to view the extent of the damage and check there is no internal bleeding or leaking from the bladder.
An X-ray may also be requested to rule out pelvic fractures. Bruising with no other injuries will usually clear on its own within a week or so.
A hospital stay may be required to monitor symptoms until the doctor is sure there is no internal bleeding or rupture of the bladder.
