Head Injury Symptoms

Any trauma that leads to injury of the skull, brain, or scalp is referred to as head injury. A head injury could range from a minor bump in the head to a serious brain harm. Note that, head injury may not always include damage or injury to the brain. It is, basically, of two kinds; closed and open (penetrating). While a closed head injury refers to the one in which no damage is done to the skull, open injury or penetrating head injury is referred to as an injury occurring when an object penetrates through the skull, thereby, gapping the dura mater. There isn't a large number of causes of head or brain injury as all types of head injuries can be a result of trauma. Motor vehicle accidents, falls, and assaults caused by activities such as skating or biking may result in serious head injuries. The following section explains all the head injury signs in adults and children.

Head Injury: Symptoms

Whether it is a minor blunt head injury or a serious blunt head trauma, the symptoms of brain injury and damage occur immediately. However, there are cases in which the symptoms may develop at a steady pace, over hours or days. The issue with head injuries is that, even when you see your head looking absolutely fine from outside, you never know what complications have occurred inside your head. Bleeding or swelling inside the skull could lead to serious head damage. The signs and symptoms, if not diagnosed and cured on time, could even lead to death. Following is a compiled list of symptoms of head injury:

• Severe headache
• Fracture in the skull
• Bruising of the face
• Impaired vision and hearing
• Memory loss and confusion
• Personality changes and irritability
• Lack of coordination and dizziness
• Blurred vision with distorted features on face
• Sensory issues
• Intracranial bleeding
• Nausea
• Fatigue
• Blood draining from nose and mouth
• Change in the size of pupils
• Death (if no treatment is carried out)

Treatment

You know, head injury isn't something that could be cured at home by bringing into use some quintessential home remedies to treat headache, et al. Instead, some serious advice from medical professionals is what you need in this case. However, in case of minor injuries on head, which are visible, such as swelling on head, minor bleeding, bruises, etc. applying ice does help. Swelling decreases, and blood stops flowing. Strict bed rest and regular pain killers in case of headaches should be given to the patient.

However, in case of critical head injuries, the moment the symptoms are diagnosed, the patient shall be rushed to the hospital, without fail. It is the neurosurgeon who will be able to consider various factors such as the location of bleeding, visible and non-visible injuries, and the speed at which the symptoms progress. Thus, he will be able to prescribe the correct aid. There are many cases of head injuries where surgery is the only option. Proper medication and pressure monitors are brought into use in order to keep the patient's situation under surveillance. All in all, when you realize that the treatment of head injury is no more in your hands, it is always advisable to rush to the doctor, for it is he who would recommend proper treatment depending upon the type of head injury.

One of the many pieces of advice while getting head injury treated is to be transparent with your doctor. Tell him all about the injury, the past and the present. It is only then that the doctor will be able to carry out relevant treatment, in accordance with the symptoms that you've delineated.