A head injury involves trauma to the scalp due to a fall. This type of injury can be deadly or only involving minor bruises or abrasions. There are four types of head injuries – closed injury, open injury, concussion and scalp wounds.
What is a closed injury?
A closed injury is any kind of injury that does not break the skull. It can cause swelling or bleeding within the skull, thus leading to brain damage or death. Closed head injury can be caused by vehicular accidents, falls, assaults, work-related accidents and sports injuries.
What are the indications of a closed head injury?
Symptoms of a severe closed injury can be seen right away but the symptoms of a mild closed injury will manifest days or weeks after the injury.
- Loss of consciousness
- Dilated pupils
- Respiratory problems such as weak or shortness of breath
- Convulsions
- Headache and dizziness
- Nausea and vomiting
- Leak of the cerebrospinal fluid from the nose or ears
- Speech and language problems
- Vision problems
- Emotional and behavioural changes
What is an open injury?
Scenarios that can result to an open injury include car accidents, sports related accidents, falls and a gunshot or knife wounds. Open head injuries are prone to contamination and infection since a break in the skull occurred.
Symptoms of open head injuries
- Bleeding from a cut or wound in the scalp
- Loss of consciousness
- Abnormal movements of the eye
- Inability to focus the eyes
- Loss of muscle control
- Seizures
- Vomiting
Treatment of open head injuries depends on the type of injuries sustained and the health of the individual. In most case, the individual can be given medications to prevent blood clot or seizures.
What is a concussion?
A concussion is a painful brain injury that can alter how the brain functions. After a concussion, the individual can experience headache, problems with concentration, memory, balance and coordination.
Concussions can be caused by a blow in the head and violent shaking of the upper parts of the body. Some do not realize they have concussion because they were unconscious. In contact sports such as football, concussions are common. A concussion will damage the brain, thus it needs to rest in order to heal properly.
Tips to prevent or minimize the risk for head injuries
Wear protective gear for any sport or other recreational activities. The gear should fit properly, regularly maintained and used correctly.
- Wear a seat belt when driving a vehicle.
- Makes sure that your house is properly lighted and the flooring must not be slippery to minimize the risk for falls.
- If children are present, block off all stairways and install window guards.
- Leg muscles should be strengthened with regular exercise
Rest is one way to recover completely from a concussion. The individual must avoid physical exertion such as in sports and other activities until there are no symptoms. For pain relief, the first aid measure is to provide over-the-counter medications for pain.