Head Injuries

Overview
Head injuries result from a penetrating or blunt trauma to the head and can range from mild to life-threatening in severity. The Brain Injury Association of America estimates that 1.4 million Americans sustain a traumatic brain injury each year. Head injuries in teenagers often occur through car accidents, sports injuries or falls. Not all head injuries warrant seeking emergency care, but you should be familiar with some signs and symptoms to look for after a friend or loved one suffers this type of injury.

Symptoms
Blunt trauma to the head may lead to a minor head injury known as a concussion, which is marked by symptoms such as swelling or a bump on the head, headache, nausea, vomiting, temporary loss of memory and seizures. Loss of consciousness, or passing out, may or may not occur with a concussion. Anyone with seizures or loss of consciousness following a head injury should always seek emergency care. Some other red flags to look for after a head injury include persistent vomiting, persistent bleeding from the head, severe headache that worsens with time, unusual behavior, persistent dizziness, clear liquid oozing from the nose or ear, slurred speech or unusual drowsiness.

Treatment
Anyone who shows any of the above red flag symptoms should be taken to an emergency room right away. Also, victims of high-speed car accidents or who fall from a tall height should probably be evaluated right away, regardless of symptoms. Patients with these symptoms will often have a neurological exam performed by a health care provider and a CT scan of the brain to look for skull fracture, swelling of the brain and bleeding in the brain. If you do not have any of the above red flag symptoms and your head injury was rather minor, it is probably safe for you to be treated and monitored at home. Things you can do to ease your symptoms after a minor head injury include rest, but you should be frequently checked by a family member to make sure you are doing OK. If you have a minor cut on your head, you should wash it with some mild soap and water and apply an antibiotic ointment at least twice a day. If you have a lump on your head, applying ice for 20 minutes off and on can relieve some of the mild swelling. You may also want to take some acetaminophen or ibuprofen to minimize your headache. It's always a good idea to touch base with your health care provider within 24 hours following a mild head injury.