Because certainly there are people out there who get suspicious-looking bruises for totally innocuous reasons.

Not only am I that person, I help make other people that person too.

Signed,
Split Lip Is Only Scar Tissue Now.

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Cripes, the number of bruises on my hips from thinking they're the size they were when I was 20? I can't walk by any type of projecting piece of architecture without carrying semi-permanent reminders.

There was (and still is, but I no longer live there) a telephone table in the hallway leading to my old bedroom in the house where I grew up. It made the hallway slightly too narrow for someone stumbling in from the computer at three in the morning. It had sharp, pokey edges. I had frequent, large bruises.

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So, it's a serious question. How do they tell? I mean, I'm sure they're supposed to look for behavioral clues as well, and all that. Of course, then it comes down to being able to read people -- do doctors get a lot of training in that?

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In my case, I really don't think my doctor would ever notice such things or ask any questions. Which is really tragic.

When I have gone in, he hasn't even asked what happened. I just get all nervous in doctor's offices which can lead to getting chatty.

I hope he is the exception and not the rule.

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Also, I woiuld think bruises on hips and legs are pretty common from klutziness (they sure are with me) and uncommon for abuse--someone is more like to hit you in the face from anger than on the hip or the back of the leg.

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I did a quick googling on injury patterns.

Kids:

• Bruises that result from abuse tend to be larger; are more common on the face, back, abdomen, arms, buttocks, ears and hands -- and often occur in clusters
• Bruises on uncommonly injured body surfaces
• Blunt-instrument marks or burns
• Human hand marks or bite marks
• Multiple injuries at different stages of healing
• Circumferential immersion burns
• Unexplained retinal hemorrhages
• Children seldom bruise their buttocks in accidental falls.
• Bruises on the buttocks are in the primary target zone for nonaccidental injury.

Elderly:

• Sprains, dislocations, fractures, or broken bones
• Burns from cigarettes, appliances, or hot water
• Abrasions on arms, legs, or torso that resemble rope or strap marks
• Internal injuries evidenced by pain, difficulty with normal functioning of organs, and bleeding from body orifices

Bruises. The following types of bruises are rarely accidental:

• Bilateral bruising to the arms (may indicate that the person has been shaken, grabbed, or restrained)
• Bilateral bruising of the inner thighs (may indicate sexual abuse)
• "Wrap around" bruises that encircle an older person's arms, legs, or torso (may indicate that the person has been physically restrained)
• Multicolored bruises (indicating that they were sustained over time)
• Injuries healing through "secondary intention" (indicating that they did not receive appropriate care)
• Signs of traumatic hair and tooth loss

Domestic violence:

• Chronic pain and /or areas of tenderness especially at the extremities
• Bruises, welts, edema or scars, particularly in the genital and anal areas and the breasts
• Swelling of eyes
• Split lip
• Ubconjunctival hemorrhage
• Signs of choking on throat
• Intra-abdominal injury
• Shoulder dislocation

Which is to say, sadly, there are a million ways to do it. I don't think (and that's why I started googling) that it's all about the face.

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I just had a couple hours of hanging out at the library with my friend and her son. SUCH fun! He is such a cutie. My favorite part? He came running into the little cafe area yelling, "Valrie! I made Shrek burp! And LOUD!"

And then there was the leaving..."Have a good Monday!"

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But nothing about the outside of hip bruises the clumsy get. I would assume someone who looks well kept and unbruised anywhere else and has no history on their chart of any other injuries would not raise a red flag the way somene presenting with any of the items on your list would.

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It's hard to tell which of my bruises are clumsiness bruises, and which are things that have similar physical causes of abuse. But I think my upper arms are where I klutz, and they're abuse indicators (they tend to look like fingers, although I've never noticed it looking like a whole hand).

My point was mainly not to associate abuse-markers with the face. My unseasoned understanding is that a long-term abuser isn't going to do that (but a heat-of-anger abuser may very well) -- there is the scenario of beating, with a weapon, which may hit in many klutzy places.

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I marked the list of typical abuse bruises. Writers collect disturbing things.

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