Acute treatment is directed toward controlling bleeding and minimizing secondary insult. With proper treatment, minor contusions usually heal within two to three days. More severe contusions may take several weeks or months to heal and should always be evaluated by a sports medicine specialist. The injury may limit motion and affect gait. The severity of the contusion is usually graded by the range of motion in the hip at the time of evaluation.
Treatment consists of immediate compression, ice, and protection from weight bearing with crutches.
Ice should be applied during the first 24 to 48 hours. Complete recovery can be expected, but painless full range of motion should be achieved before the athlete returns to his or her sport. Recovery time may last from two days to six months, depending on the severity of the injury and the development of complications, such as myositis ossificans. In many cases, myositis ossificans is the result of recurrent trauma to a quadriceps muscle that was not properly protected after an initial injury. A history of injury should always be confirmed to rule out other causes.