I fell 20 years ago and was told I bruised the shin bone on my left leg. It is now hurting in the same spot. I can actually see a very faint red mark, like an old bruise. It sometimes hurts up into my knee and wakes me up at night. Am I just getting old and can tell the weather is changing?

Dr. Joshua’s Answer:

Before attributing this to the old trauma or aging, you should definitely have your doctor take a look. Any skin changes, nighttime pain, and symptoms like that warrant a physical examination, to rule out the more serious causes. An x-ray or ultrasound may be needed. Make an appointment, and let us know what the doctor says about it. It could be just a so-called bone bruise which is actually not even a medical term, but a trauma to the periosteum, the structure surrounding the bone. But then again it’s quite possible, probable even, that your present symptoms are unrelated to the bone bruise you suffered long ago.