Does an area of injury always bruise before swelling?

Answer 1

The simple answer here is no. An area of injury may bruise before, during, or after swelling. Depending on the location of the injury, the mechanism of injury, and the time of injury. If the injury is superficial in location, such as a blunt trauma to the skin overlying the thigh, it is common for bruising to occur in conjunction with the swelling. However, these two injury markers are not always present together. For instance, a knee injury will often cause inflammation and swelling of the joint, without any external evidence of bruising. Generally speaking, bruising is a superficial response to injury.