Head injuries in children and what to look for

The skin on the human head is supplied by several nerves and therefore injuries there tend to hurt very much, with the result that people become quite protective of their heads. Children, though, are naturally prone to bumping their heads. They fall over, encounter things or throw toys and other items at each other. Children's skulls continue to be growing, and aren't quite as strong being an adult's, but minor head injuries are unlikely to cause any damage. Don't be concerned if:

Your child is completely well following a head trauma.
You cannot use whatever cut or damage to the skull.
Your child doesn't have a headache, hasn't given out and continues as normal.

However, do be familiar with the next types of head injuries, which could potentially lead to more serious problems:

An autumn to the head from a height.
An item falling onto the head from the height.
A high-speed or high-impact head injury, like a fall from a bicycle at speed or from a climbing frame.
A hit from a heavy or fast-flying object.

Your child is likely to cry and be distressed after a head trauma, but will often subside quickly.

Giving paracetamol or ibuprofen can help to provide pain relief, particularly if your child's head suffered minor bruising. Letting your child sleep afterwards does no harm, but check his breathing every hour for any while and be sure that his sleeping position looks normal. If you are concerned, check that you can wake your child. A grumpy response is fine - only worry when you can't rouse your child. Seek medical advice if you have any worries, especially if any symptoms persist for more than a week or two and do not begin to improve.

On rare occasions, even what has been a minor head injury can harm the blood vessels surrounding the mind or indeed the mind itself, and unless your child receives urgent treatment, longer-lasting damage may result. Such the signs of brain damage or bleeding within the skull may appear immediately or following a delay of hours, days - or very rarely - weeks following the original injury.

Consider the next indicators in your child, which might indicate a possibly more serious head injury, and seek medical health advice immediately:

Vomiting twice or more.
Headache that gradually gets worse: a gentle headache after a head injury, though, is typical and nothing to worry about.
Wherewithal to walk properly, unusual dizziness or fitting.
Unusual drowsiness when you'd expect your child to be wide awake.
Confusion, or acting strangely.
Clear fluid or blood leaking from your child's ear or nose.
Complaints of visual problems for example double vision or blurring.
Improperly moving a body part such as an arm or perhaps a leg.
Sudden wherewithal to hear or understand you in order to speak properly.
Unusual breathing - too quickly or only very slowly.

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Head injuries in children and what to look for

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