Conditions
Head Trauma
Suffering from Head Trauma
Head Trauma after an Car Accident or Sport Injury
If you have recently been in a car accident, slip and fall accident or an event similar where you have experienced head trauma, quick and appropriate treatment is required to ensure the symptoms and pain doesn’t get worse and affect your life in more ways than it already has. These types of injuries are fairly common and do not necessarily need to be a severe head injury to be considered as head trauma.
Our physicians and therapists at Icon Medical Centers are skilled in treating those who are dealing with head trauma and the symptoms that follow so your pain can be relieved and you can go back to living your life as it was before your injury.
Depending on the cause of your head trauma, it can generally be divided into two categories: being injured after receiving a blow to the head or being injured from shaking. While violent shaking more commonly results in head injuries for babies and small children, anyone of any age can experience head trauma from this.
The common head trauma types are:
- Concussion – a severe impact to cause injury to the brain
- Hematoma – pooled or clotting blood outside the blood vessels, leading to pressure build-up in your skull
- Hemorrhage – uncontrolled bleeding in the area surrounding or within your brain
- Edema – swelling of surrounding brain tissue or of the brain itself
- Skull fracture
Head trauma from receiving a blow to the head is commonly caused by falling, having an accident while at home, work, or outside. From being involved in a motor vehicle accident to getting physically assaulted or experiencing some kind of violence like a gunshot wound, or getting injured while playing a sport, the risks from being outside can vary. Those who are in the military may also experience head trauma from combat injuries or explosive blasts.
Head trauma caused by shaking can occur from being violently shaken. Shaken baby syndrome affects babies and infants who are shaken by a person, and while this is the most common cause of head trauma caused by shaking, older children and adults can be affected as well.
Head Trauma Symptoms
Head trauma, even when it’s minor, should never be underestimated or taken lightly. If you have any of the following symptoms, seek immediate medical attention:
- Loss of consciousness
- Feeling disoriented
- Feeling confused
Knowing the symptoms of head trauma is important so you can monitor your condition after being in an accident and hitting your head. A lot of common symptoms don’t necessarily appear right away, so continuing to monitor your symptoms in the days following your injury is a good idea.
The most common minor head trauma symptoms include:
- A headache
- Nausea
- Feeling lightheaded
- Feeling dizzy or having a spinning sensation
- Feeling mildly confused
- Temporary ringing in the ears
More serious head trauma can exhibit many of the same symptoms as a minor injury, but also can include:
- A headache that persists or gets worse
- Changes in mood
- Vomiting
- Seizures
- Losing consciousness
- Having coordination or balance problems
- Feeling disoriented
- Losing the ability to focus your eyes
- Losing muscle control
- Memory loss
- Clear fluid leaking from the ears or nose
How Head Injuries are Treated
Head injury treatments depend on the type of injury and the severity. For minor head trauma that doesn’t have any symptoms other than some pain where the injury occurred, taking acetaminophen is often the solution. Tylenol is commonly suggested, but it’s important to note that anti-inflammatory drugs like ibuprofen or aspirin can make any bleeding worse, so avoid Advil and Bayer. If you have a cut on your head, the treatment may involve using staples or sutures to close it and stop the bleeding, then covering it with a bandage.
One of the myths surrounding head trauma is that if you have experienced a head injury, you should not go to sleep. You can sleep, but you should be woken up every two hours and checked for new symptoms in case anything develops or gets worse. If this is the case, seek medical attention immediately.
Serious or severe head trauma treatment most likely involves hospitalization and will depend on what symptoms you have. You could be given medication, including anti-seizure medication to mitigate the risk of seizures, diuretics to reduce pressure buildup in your brain or even medication to put you into an induced coma to help your brain heal. You could also require surgery in order for the doctors to release some of the pressure in your head, repair your skull, or remove a hematoma.
Rehabilitation for Head Trauma
Serious brain injuries resulting from head trauma most likely require some form of rehabilitation in order to regain full function. The type of rehabilitation you may need will depend on what kind of functionality you have lost after getting a head injury, but common rehab programs include helping those affected regain full mobility and speech. Be sure to get in contact with us today to discuss a detailed personal plan that will enable your recovery.
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