Health Desk. People often ignore head injuries considering them normal. But in some cases, head injury can cause serious problems like brain injury, swelling or bleeding. It is very important to keep an eye on the symptoms especially after a high speed accident, fall from height or severe head injury.
When can a head injury become serious?
Not every head injury is serious, but even though the injury may appear minor on the outside, there may be problems inside the brain. Some symptoms appear immediately after injury, while others may appear hours or days later. Therefore, if there is a suspicion of serious injury, medical examination is necessary.
Do not ignore these symptoms
Symptoms of a head injury can be serious, such as repeated vomiting, fainting, increasing headaches, excessive sleepiness, or difficulty waking the person up. Apart from this, confusion, sudden change in memory, trouble in speaking or understanding and imbalance in walking are also warning signs.
If you have a seizure after an injury, feel weakness or numbness in any part of the body, the pupil of one eye looks different from the other, or there is blood or clear fluid coming out of the nose and ears, emergency medical help should be sought immediately.
What to do after injury?
In case of serious head injury, avoid moving the person unnecessarily, especially if there is a possibility of neck or spine injury. Get emergency help immediately if you faint, have seizures, or have trouble breathing. It is also better to avoid giving pain medication or other medicines without medical advice.
Be careful with children and elderly
One should pay attention to signs such as changes in behavior, persistent crying, vomiting or abnormal sleep after a head injury in children. In the elderly, even a seemingly minor injury can become serious, especially if they take blood-thinning medications.
Timely investigation is very important
To detect brain injury, the doctor may conduct tests like neurological examination and CT scan as per need. With timely detection and treatment the risk of serious complications can be reduced.