The Highway to Health - Bumped Heads

by Tony Howarth

I recently had a reader send me this comment:

"As a full-time dad I have to deal with just about every minor illness my two children pickup, everything from a bump on the head to chicken pox. I found the Highway to Health ebook very useful and it's one of the first things I reach for when something goes wrong!"

Mr John Bradbury
United Kingdom

It got me thinking - although the Highway to Health does cover headaches, perhaps going into a little more detail about 'bumps on the head' would be useful. So here we go...

There are two main types of head injury - concussion and compression.

*Concussion* is the commonest:

It's when your brain gets 'shaken' inside your head. Like anything, it gets a little bruising. Like any bruise it heals with time.

It can be caused by all sorts of things:

Kids banging heads, perhaps playing sport.
A child recently ran in to a coffee table and got concussion.
Falling off things, running into things, tripping over...

It's common and not too serious.

You might feel a bit shaken up at first, might even pass out for a few moments, but not for long.

You could feel dizzy or confused as well.

You'll have a headache - but you knew that, right?

You'll probably get a bruise or bump on the outside too.

You might feel or be sick, but this will pass.

Your vision might get blurred, but this passes.

> Sit down and take it easy.

> Put a cold compress (e.g. wet sponge) on the bump.

> Try not to worry - or if it's a child, try to reassure and comfort them.

> Five to ten minutes later, you should be feeling a whole lot better. The headache won't have gone yet, but it will settle. You might still feel sick, but everything else should have cleared.

> Now you can take whatever pain relief you'd usually have for the headache (and see http://www.thehighwaytohealth.com/ for a whole chapter on relieving headaches).

> Take it easy for the next three days.

> Keep a watch out for the signs & symptoms below (and have someone else watch out for you too).

> You'll soon be wondering what the fuss was about!

*Compression* is the other type of head injury:

Just like anything that gets injured, your brain can swell.
This is bad news - it's trapped inside your skull and has nowhere to swell to.
So you get a build-up of pressure on your brain, which causes problems.
It is usually caused by something a bit more severe than a bump on the head
- more like a bat over the head, or a bigger fall, or a traffic accident.
This often starts out like concussion, but doesn't get better in a few minutes.
That feeling of sickness gets worse, and you start to be sick a lot more often.
The headache just gets worse, even when you've treated it.
The dizziness or confusion will get worse, and you might pass out for a lot longer. You might have a fit or convulsion.
Your vision might blur and keep getting worse.

>> You need the hospital - and quickly!

>> Anyone who has these symptoms goes straight to hospital.

>> Even if it started out as concussion, this can take up to 72 hours to develop. (It's commonest within the first four hours.)

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