Pittsburgh Steelers rookie wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster has had some unfortunate luck with injuries during his first preseason as a Steeler. His laundry list of injuries has included:

1. A tweaked ankle suffered in his first-team practice.
2. A mild concussion suffered in the first half of the preseason opener against the New York  Giants.
3. A knee injury suffered this week in training camp, which turned out to be a bone bruise.

The most recent knee injury required him to undergo an MRI in Pittsburgh before returning back to Latrobe Thursday afternoon. This injury also required the use of an electro-stimulation device, which he was seen wearing on his knee.

Mike Tomlin told reporters after practice that Smith-Schuster suffered a “bone bruise” and is day-to-day. Tomlin tends to report cautious optimism when speaking to the media about injuries, but the fact that he “limped off” the practice field could mean there are some issues that we need to be mindful of.

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A “bone bruise” is not a sprain/strain and it is not a regular bruise. When you think of a bruise, you probably picture a black-and-blue mark on your skin. That familiar discoloration is the result of blood leaking beneath the surface of your skin after you’ve injured a blood vessel.

A bone bruise, or bone contusion, happens when you have a small injury on the surface of a bone, which can be seen in the image below via MD-Health.com. The discoloration appears as blood and other fluids build up.

It’s possible to bruise any bone, but it’s more likely to happen to bones that are close to your skin’s surface. Here we are talking about a knee. A bruise involving your knee can lead to a buildup of fluid on the knee, which can be as painful as it sounds. Depending on how the injury happened you might also have damage to nearby ligaments.

Bone bruises can last anywhere from a few days to a few months. Bone bruises are also fairly common – anyone can get one. The bones that you’re most likely to bruise are the ones in your knees and your heels. A bone bruise is usually the result of a direct hit to the bone, which can occur during fall, accident, or bump during a sports event. You can also bruise your bone if you twist your ankle or wrist.

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Players might be more prone to bone bruises because of their job. If one or more of the following apply to your activities of daily living then you are susceptible to the injury: (ref: AAOS)

• You’re active in sports, especially high-impact sports.
• You don’t wear proper protective equipment.
• Your job is physically demanding.
• You take part in an activity that’s physically demanding.

As mentioned earlier, Smith-Schuster was also seen with an electro-stimulation device on his knee. These devices are gaining popularity as methods for strength training and rehabilitation. How it works is the device sends electrical impulses to the body that make the muscles contract, mimicking the action potential that comes from the central nervous system. Some of the main benefits of this treatment are pain relief and muscle re-education.

So what is JuJu Smith-Schuster’s outlook?

He may have to rest for some amount of time, but it’s important to allow his bone to heal fully. Returning to regular activities too soon can make things worse. Although there’s a great variation in recovery time, it usually takes a few weeks to a few months to heal in some cases. Most of the time there are no lasting problems. Complications are rare unless a more extensive injury occurred. So it is positive as far as the injury itself.

Smith-Schuster has yet to practice since the injury, but there is no reason to be alarmed at this moment.

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NFL players are known to play through injuries, however. Every year like clock work we hear stories about guys playing through tears, breaks, and bruises  – that’s the nature of the NFL. Smith-Schuster is a tough player and should have no issue playing through the pain as long as the coaching staff and doctors allow it.

Only time will decide on how severe the injury really was. While he may be in pain, we should expect to see Smith-Schuster back in no time.