Causes of Head Injuries, Symptoms and Emergency Room Treatment
Head injuries range from a bump on the head to a skull fracture. Some head injuries are severe enough to cause brain damage or even death.
Head injuries are trauma to the brain, scalp, or skull. They are dangerous and can lead to disability, mental impairment or death. The severity of a head injury can range from a small bump on the head to a serious injury that damages the brain.
Open head injuries occur when something penetrates the skull and brain, while closed head injuries occur when something hits the head. Examples of head injuries include Concussion, Skull Fracture and Scalp Wound.
Head injuries can range widely in severity and repercussions. If you suspect a serious head injury, visit us at ER of Texas Emergency Center. Our ER doctors are board-certified and available 24 hours a day.
Our facilities are equipped to handle all head traumas or injuries.
Causes of Head Injuries
The most common causes of serious head injuries are:
- Car accidents
- Sports injuries
- Accidents at home, such as slips, falls or trips
- Accidents at work, such as falls or being hit on the head
- Assaults
- Falls
Major Types of Head Injuries
- Hematoma - A hematoma is a collection, or clotting, of blood outside the blood vessels. It can be very serious if a hematoma occurs in the brain. The clotting can lead to pressure building up inside your skull. This can cause you to lose consciousness or result in permanent brain damage.
- Hemorrhage - A hemorrhage is uncontrolled bleeding. There can be bleeding in the space around your brain, called subarachnoid hemorrhage, or bleeding within your brain tissue, called intracerebral hemorrhage.
Subarachnoid hemorrhages often cause headaches and vomiting. The severity of intracerebral hemorrhages depends on how much bleeding there is, but over time any amount of blood can cause pressure buildup.
What is a head injury?
A head injury is any sort of injury to your brain, skull, or scalp. This can range from a mild bump or bruise to a traumatic brain injury. Common head injuries include concussions, skull fractures, and scalp wounds. The consequences and treatments vary greatly, depending on what caused your head injury and how severe it is.
Head injuries may be either closed or open. A closed head injury is any injury that doesn’t break your skull. An open (penetrating) head injury is one in which something breaks your scalp and skull and enters your brain.
It can be hard to assess how serious a head injury is just by looking. Some minor head injuries bleed a lot, while some major injuries don’t bleed at all. It’s important to treat all head injuries seriously and get them assessed by a doctor.
Symptoms of Head Injuries
Your head has more blood vessels than any other part of the body. Most head injuries or traumas could result in bleeding on the surface of the brain or within the brain. This is a major concern for head injury patients.
If you believe you have suffered severe head injury, it is important to know the symptoms to look for. The symptoms may not appear immediately and it is important to continue monitoring yourself after suffering a head injury.
Below are common symptoms of head injuries:
- Headache
- Lightheadedness
- Spinning sensation
- Confusion
- Nausea
- Ringing in the ears
- Loss of consciousness
- Seizures
- Vomiting
- Balance or coordination problems
- Disorientation
- Inability to focus on things
- Memory loss
- Mood change
- Loss of muscle control
When to Seek Emergency Room Treatment for Head Injuries
Some head injuries do not require medical treatment, but others can be serious, even if there is no visible evidence of the injury. If you suspect your head injury may have more serious underlying symptoms, visit a nearby ER of Texas Emergency Center ER immediately.
Be on the Look out for the following signs and visit the ER immediately if you notice any of them:
- You become very tired or sleepy after receiving the head injury
- The head is bleeding profusely
- You are not able to move your arms or legs
- Your pupils are not the same size
- You have a stiff neck or a severe headache
- You begin vomiting
- Your speech becomes slurred
- You become easily confused
- A child who has received a head injury does not want to eat
- An infant has a bulging soft spot on the head after being injured
Minor head injuries may go away without medical intervention, but moderate to severe injuries need to be treated by a doctor to minimize damage to the brain. If you or a loved one has suffered a head injury, visit a nearby emergency room today. Schedule an emergency room appointment with us.
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