A bump on the head to a skull fracture are all examples of head injuries. Some serious head injuries might result in brain damage or even death.
Let us know more about what is head injury, its causes and its types.
What is a head injury?
Head injury could mean any damage to the brain, skull, or scalp. A traumatic brain injury can range from a little bump or bruise to a severe head injury. Common examples of head injuries are concussions, scalp wounds and skull fractures. Depending on what produced your head injury and how serious it is, the implications and treatments differ significantly.
A closed (no cut to the skin) or penetrating (skin and/or bone of the skull shattered) head injury occurs as a consequence of trauma to the scalp, skull, or brain. Symptoms of a head injury may appear soon after the impact or may take months to appear.
It’s hard to tell how bad a head injury is merely by looking at it. Some mild head injuries bleed profusely, while others do not bleed at all. All head injuries should be treated properly and evaluated by a doctor.
Causes of a head injury
Head injuries, based on the cause can be divided into two groups. Head injuries from strikes to the head or head injuries from shaking are also possibilities.
Shaking-induced head injuries are most prevalent in newborns and small children, although they can happen to anybody.
A hit to the head is frequently connected with:
- Accidents involving cars and motorcycles
- Falls
- Injury from sports
- Child abuse
- Violent actions
The major types of head injuries
1. Hematoma
A blood clot that forms outside of the blood vessels is known as a Hematoma. A hematoma in the brain can be quite dangerous. Pressure might build up inside your head as a result of the clotting. It’s possible that you’ll lose consciousness or suffer lasting brain damage as a result of this.
2. Skull fracture
Your skull lacks bone marrow which is not the case with most bones in your body. As a result, the skull is highly resilient and difficult to break. Because a shattered skull can’t absorb the force of a hit, it’s more probable that your brain will be damaged as well.
3. Hemorrhage
Uncontrolled bleeding is referred to as a haemorrhage. Subarachnoid haemorrhage is bleeding in the area around your brain, whereas intracerebral haemorrhage is bleeding within your brain tissue.
Headaches and vomiting are common symptoms of subarachnoid haemorrhages. The severity of intracerebral haemorrhages is determined by the volume of bleeding, although any quantity of blood can cause pressure to build up over time.
4. Diffuse axonal injury
A diffuse axonal injury causes no bleeding yet damages brain cells. The brain cells are damaged and unable to operate. It can also cause edoema, which can exacerbate the problem. A diffuse axonal injury is one of the most serious sorts of head traumas, despite the fact that it isn’t as obvious as other forms of brain injury. It has the potential to cause lifelong brain damage or death.
5. Concussion
When a hit to the head is serious enough to induce brain injury, it is called a concussion. The brain hitting with the hard walls of your skull, or quick acceleration and deceleration forces, are thought to be the causes. The loss of function produced by a concussion is usually only temporary. Repeated concussions, however, might cause lifelong brain damage.
6. Edema
Edema, or swelling, can result from any type of brain damage. Swelling of the surrounding tissues is common in many accidents, but it’s very dangerous when it happens in the brain. You can’t expand your cranium to accommodate the swelling. This causes a buildup of pressure in your brain, causing it to press on your skull.
Conclusion:
Head injuries should never be taken for granted. You should immediately see your doctor after the head injury no matter how minor you think it is. Let the doctor examine and evaluate the damage and decide on the treatment.
Read more on head injury in our next blog!