Aspirin is not great for any sort of bruise because it thins your blood. husband's mom heard on the radio that aspirin was being rx'd for those with heart problems and that you should take one at the first sign of a stroke to minimize damage. She decided that she didn't need to see a doctor and started taking aspirin twice a day. Regular strength, because she didn't listen closely enough to hear it was low dose, or baby, aspirin. Twice a day was because if once a day is good, twice MUST be better. We saw her three mos after she started this and she was covered iwth bruises. She looked like she had been beaten, but she was not dating anyone (since she left husband's dad she has chosen abusive men - husband's dad NEVER laid a finger on her in anger, NEVER) so we started asking questions and learned about the aspirin. She refused to stop and a month later she cut her finger and ended up needing an ambulance because she was bleeding so much!
A bruise is blood pooling under the skin from where capillaries or muscles are damaged. Aspirin may make it feel better now, but it will increase the amount of blood that is released because the blood is thinned by the aspirin. This is why another NSAID like ibuprofen or naproxen is a good thing to have on hand as they do not thin the blood.
Aleve (naproxen sodium) is longer lasting, which means it will give you more pain free hours. It is easier to sleep because you are not woken up with pain. It is available in generic and does come in gelcaps. Gelcaps do work faster but they are more expensive. Many people I know say they get more relief from naproxen than from ibuprofen.
If possible, pick up some arnica gel from the health food store. IT is incredibly helpful with bruises and strains. It is a topical homeopathic gel and it helps the bruise heal faster, ditto strains/sprains. We have had very good results from it.
