Associated symptoms
Depending on what is the cause of a bump on the shin bone, different accompanying symptoms can occur. If, as in most cases, the trigger was an injury to the front lower leg, the bump is usually accompanied by severe pain. These are most intense directly after the injury and then gradually subside again.
As a further accompanying symptom, a bruise can form if a blood vessel has been injured by the injury and there is bleeding into the tissue. In the case of an inflammatory reaction, for example as a result of an insect bite on the lower leg, redness and overheating at the affected area can occur as accompanying symptoms in addition to the bruise on the shin. In the extremely rare cases in which the bump on the shin is the result of a serious illness, fever, severe unwanted weight loss and heavy sweating at night can occur as accompanying symptoms.
A doctor should be consulted as soon as possible for these complaints. A bump on the shin bone is usually accompanied by pain. Usually the trigger is an injury to the bone on the lower leg.
The periosteum, which surrounds the shin bone, reacts very sensitively to pain and is hardly protected at this part of the body. If the tibia is hit, a strong pain with a bright, stabbing character occurs directly. After some time, the character of the pain typically changes to a dull, throbbing pain.
In contrast, a bump on the shin bone that causes no pain and occurs without a recognisable trigger is rather unusual. Even though the cause is usually harmless, a medical examination is still recommended if the bump has been present for more than two weeks or is getting steadily bigger. The tibia is one of the parts of the body where bruising is most common and is often accompanied by a bump.
In the vast majority of cases, this is caused by an injury to the shin bone, for example if you hit your lower leg on an edge or step. This involves pressing the skin and subcutaneous fatty tissue onto the bone, which can hardly give way. During this brief crushing of the soft tissues, it is easy for small blood vessels in or under the skin to burst.
As a result, there is bleeding into the tissue at the affected area. In addition to the bruise, which initially appears as a typical bruise, the escaping blood causes a bump to form on the lower leg. Over the next few days, the blood is broken down and absorbed by the body in various stages.
This causes the colour of the bruise to change from green to yellow and the bruise usually disappears by itself within a week. In rare cases, bruises and dents occur more frequently without any recognisable cause on the shin bone. When this occurs, as well as when very large bruises are formed, a doctor should be consulted, as in some cases these may be the signs of a disorder in blood clotting.