If you are unsure whether or not a head injury is serious, there are a few factors to consider. The first thing to do is check for signs of confusion, which could indicate a concussion. If the person cannot remember what happened before the injury or they have trouble concentrating on anything else, it may be more than just a bump on the head. Another sign that an injury might be more severe than originally thought would be excessive vomiting and/or nausea. Finally, if their pupils are uneven in size or one pupil appears larger than the other, this can also signify a problem with brain function.
There are several ways head injuries can be caused. A head injury is sometimes referred to as a closed head injury, meaning that there was no penetration of the skull or brain through an opening.
Traumatic head wounds often occur as a result of car accidents and sports-related collisions, especially those involving contact with hard surfaces like helmets, ice hockey sticks, or football shoulder pads. However, other types of head injuries happen when people fall downstairs and hit their heads on each step they pass during descent due to lack of attention or loss of consciousness.
Another common cause is blunt force trauma from excessive force imparted onto the head area by any number of objects—such as being struck by someone else’s fist, head-butted during a fight, or slipping and falling head first onto the ground.
If you feel as though any of these symptoms are present, seek medical attention immediately. Even if no visible injuries occur following head trauma, it is still possible to have hidden damage that could cause long-term health issues like blindness or brain damage sometime in the future. Because there is often nothing visibly wrong with those who’ve experienced head injuries from blunt force impact, this makes them difficult to identify at times—so don’t take chances when dealing with head wounds!
There are several symptoms that can signify a head injury is more serious than others.
It goes without saying that head injuries can be serious business; loss of consciousness for even a few seconds after sustaining an injury should always be regarded
After determining whether or not the head injury is serious, it’s important to seek medical attention. If a head injury causes any of the above symptoms and lasts for more than one day without getting better, you should see your doctor right away. For head injuries that don’t involve loss of consciousness, memory problems, disorientation, or other concerning symptoms described here, your doctor will likely recommend rest and observe how you are recovering over time before allowing activity again.
However, if there’s reason to believe that something else might be wrong with you as well (such as an infection in another part of your body), they may also need to do additional imaging studies such as MRI scans or CT scans depending on the head injury severity. In cases where head injuries are more serious, such as head trauma from a car accident or sports-related collision—especially if the person has experienced head injury symptoms like loss of consciousness for any length of time or difficulty staying awake that lasts longer than one hour after head trauma happens–they will likely need to be hospitalized and observed in an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) setting until they are stable enough to go back home.
Dr. Chen sees patients at Saint Francis Memorial Hospital Center for Sports Medicine in Walnut Creek, California. He is a board-certified Pediatrician and Sports Medicine Doctor that specializes in the non-operative medical treatment of a wide variety of various musculoskeletal conditions. Dr. Chen graduated from St. George’s University School of Medicine and went on to complete Pediatric residency training at the University of Medicine and Dentistry in New Jersey (Rutgers), then went on to fellowship training in Sports Medicine at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, one of the perennially top-ranked children’s hospitals in the nation. There he provided sideline coverage for NCAA Division I athletics at the University of Cincinnati and Miami University (OH). Since graduating, Dr. Chen has continued his love of sports coverage by volunteering for the San Francisco Marathon, the San Francisco Giant Race, and as the team physician for Northgate High School in Walnut Creek. Being a part of The Center for Sports Medicine allows Dr. Chen quick access to a multidisciplinary team of orthopedic surgeons, podiatrists, physiatrists, and physical therapists to return you to your highest functional level quickly and safely. Click here to contact us for your next appointment!
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