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KEY POINTS
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A bruised spleen is an injury to the spleen, which is an organ in the left upper part of your belly. It filters bacteria from the blood, stores blood, and removes old blood cells. It helps your body fight infection. The spleen also helps keep the number of blood cells in balance.
If you think you have injured your spleen, it is important to get checked to make sure that the spleen has not ruptured (torn). Rupture of the spleen can be life-threatening.
Car accidents are the most common cause of a bruised spleen. It can also happen with other injuries, such as getting hit in the belly playing sports or being in a fight, or if you fall onto your bicycle handlebars.
A mild bruise may cause no symptoms or only some mild tenderness of the belly. Symptoms of a severely bruised or ruptured spleen may include:
Your healthcare provider will ask about your symptoms, medical history, how you were injured, and examine you.
You may have tests such as:
If the physical exam and tests show no injuries other than a bruise, the treatment is rest and follow-up with your healthcare provider. It may take just a couple of weeks to recover from a bruised spleen.
You may need surgery if:
If your spleen is ruptured, rather than bruised, it may leak blood slowly, which is dangerous. You may need surgery to check your spleen, or to repair or remove your spleen if it is seriously injured. If you need surgery, your recovery time may be longer and at least 4 to 6 weeks if your spleen has to be removed. If your spleen is removed, you may have trouble fighting off infections for the rest of your life. You may need to get extra vaccinations to prevent some types of infection. You should always tell your healthcare providers you do not have a spleen.
Follow the full course of treatment prescribed by your healthcare provider. Ask your provider:
Make sure you know when you should come back for a checkup. Keep all appointments for provider visits or tests.
You may want to get a medical alert card or jewelry that says that you do not have a spleen.