Navigating Health

Minor bumps and bangs to the head are extremely common and in most cases leave no long term ill effects-the skull is a very resilient structure. As for more serious head injuries, the principal cause of these is road traffic accidents. Many developed countries have made it compulsory for motorcycle riders and drivers to wear helmets and seatbelts respectively. These preventive measures have resulted in significant reductions in the number of road accident related head injuries. Helmets for cyclists and horse riders also help to minimize injuries.

If you have injured you head and have any of the symptoms listed in the above box on serious head injury, visit your doctor immediately or go to the nearest accident and emergency department. Doctors may examine you physically and ask about the incident and any symptoms. They may x-ray you skull to look for fractures, although this will reveal little about any underlying brain damage. Most minor head injury patients are allowed home if someone can keep an eye on them. Serious problems can develop in the first 24 hours and so monitoring is vital.

If the head injury is severe, the patient may be kept in hospital for observation. In such cases, a brain scan may be done to look for brain damage. In severe head injuries, the patient may remain unconscious for a long time. In a few cases the problem lies with an expanding blood clot or hecatomb, which needs to be removed by a neurosurgeon. The key treatment is to assist a person’s oxygen and nutrients. Drugs may be given to prevent the brain swelling. Recovery from a severe brain injury may take weeks or months and the degree of recovery is variable and not easy to predict early on.

Comments are closed.