March 2010 - Head Injuries

Mon, 1 March 2010

Head Injuries

Minor head injuries are a routine occurrence where there are kids in the house. From toddlers falling against tables, kids bumping heads playing ball, to kids falling from the couch or jungle gym; kids often lead with their heads when they fall down.

Usually, a few stars are seen, a headache happens, and all is well. Sometimes it isn't so clear, especially with younger children, and we all know that head injuries can be serious and you can never be too careful. Bleeding, tearing of tissues and brain swelling can occur when the brain moves inside the skull at the time of an impact. But most people recover from head injuries and have no lasting effects.

Types of head injuries

• A concussion is a jarring injury to the brain. A person who has a concussion usually, but not always, passes out for a short while. The person may feel dazed and may lose vision or balance for a while after the injury.
• A brain contusion is a bruise of the brain. This means there is some bleeding in the brain, causing swelling.
• A skull fracture is when the skull cracks. Sometimes the edges of broken skull bones cut into the brain and cause bleeding or other injury.
• A hematoma is bleeding in the brain that collects and clots, forming a bump. A hematoma may not be apparent for a day or even as long as several weeks. So it's important to tell your doctor if someone with a head injury feels or acts oddly. Watch out for headaches, listlessness, balance problems or throwing up.

How can the doctor tell how bad the damage is?

The doctor will ask about how the injury occurred, about past medical problems, and about vomiting, seizures (fits) or problems breathing after an injury. Your child may need to stay in the hospital to be watched. Sometimes, tests such as a computerized tomography (CT) or a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan, which take pictures of the brain, are needed to find out more about possible damage.

Is it true that your child must be kept awake after the injury?

No. If the doctor thinks your child needs to be watched this closely, he or she will probably admit your child to the hospital. Sometimes, doctors will send your child who has had a head injury home and may ask that your child be awakened frequently and asked questions such as "What's your name?" and "Where are you?" to make sure everything is okay. It might be a bit more difficult to assess smaller toddlers, but look out for the symptoms below.

Get help if you notice the following symptoms:

• Any symptom that is getting worse, such as headaches, nausea or sleepiness
• Nausea that doesn't go away
• Changes in behavior, such as irritability or confusion
• Dilated pupils (pupils that are bigger than normal) or pupils of different sizes
• Trouble walking or speaking
• Drainage of bloody or clear fluids from ears or nose
• Vomiting
• Seizures
• Weakness or numbness in the arms or legs

Awareness days and products
March the 20th is Head Injury Awareness Day on the national health calendar. Thudguard has developed a revolutionary protective foam hat is designed to help absorb and reduce the impact of falls in toddlers, especially for those learning to walk. To create head injury awareness, we are giving away 2 funky Thudguard hats, to protect your little one’s head against the knocks of life.  Click here for our Competition page.
 

Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

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