Head Injury

Head injury is a term used to describe any injury to the head that may or may not cause brain damage. Head injury may be external or internal:

External head injury includes scrapes, cuts, burns, and bumps on the scalp or skin surrounding the skull. External head injury does not injure the brain.

Internal head injury is most commonly referred to as brain injury or traumatic brain injury. Brain injury can result from penetration of brain tissue by an object, or if the head is violently hit or shaken, which causes the brain to collide with the inside of the skull. A person with internal head injury may or may not have an injury on the outside of the head.

In severe cases, a person may have both external and internal head injury.

Head Injury Causes

Traffic accidents, falls, and assaults are common causes of external and internal head injury. Bashes, blows, and bumps to the head can lacerate or bruise the skin, resulting in external head injury. If the head is hit with significant force, the skull can fracture. Though skull fracture may or may not injure the brain, it is considered a serious head injury. If a skull fracture exposes the brain to the environment, brain tissue can become infected or injured from skull fragments or debris. Skull fracture is also known as open head injury. Internal head injury is caused by a violent shake or blow to the head that causes the brain to collide or rub against the inside of the skull. When the brain collides with the inside of the skull, tissue is damaged or sheared, and normal brain functions are disrupted.

Head Injury Symptoms

Head injury symptoms vary depending on whether the injury is external or internal. External head injury symptoms include pain, bleeding, swelling, and bruising on the outside of the head. If external wounds are deep, a person may have severe pain, excessive bleeding, or blistering.

Internal head injury symptoms convey brain injury. These symptoms include headache, dizziness, temporary memory loss, nausea, drowsiness, and confusion. More serious symptoms include convulsions or seizures, vomiting, loss of consciousness, and paralysis.

Head Injury Complications

External head injury complications include infection and excessive blood loss from open wounds. Scarring, skin damage, and burns can complicate recovery.

Internal head injury complications can be severe and require immediate medical attention. Internal head injury complications include increased intracranial pressure, brain swelling, and hematoma.

An increase in intracranial pressure is a particularly devastating internal head injury complication. Excessive intracranial pressure is the amount of force the brain, blood, and cerebrospinal fluid (which cushions the brain and spinal cord) exert on the skull. When the brain is injured and swells, it accumulates extra fluid and increases in size. If the skull is not fractured upon head injury, fluid and pressure cannot escape the confines of the skull, and pressure builds rapidly. Increased intracranial pressure destroys brain tissue and restricts blood and oxygen flow. Head injury victims often die from this critical complication.

Hematoma is bleeding or a collection of blood inside of the skull. For internal head injuries, hematoma is dangerous. Blood and brain swelling pressure can damage and destroy tissue. Excessive blood loss can also cause severe complications, and the injured person may need urgent treatment.

Head Injury Treatment

External head injury treatment may involve bandaging, stitching wounds, and stopping blood loss. A person with severe external head injury may need blood transfusions if blood loss is significant. Antibiotics may be administered to treat or prevent wound infection. External burns and blisters are treated with salves to prevent infections.

Internal head injury is considered to be serious. Often internal head injury victims are held at a hospital overnight or for several days. Because related brain swelling causes increased pressure in the skull, an intracranial pressure (ICP) monitor may be surgically inserted into the skull. Sometimes internal head injury victims are given medication to prevent or treat seizures.

To decrease intracranial pressure and treat any bleeding in the brain or skull, surgery is often necessary. A surgeon will work to decompress pressure against the brain and to release excess fluid. People with more severe head injury with severe damage to the brain may need a ventilator or artificial breathing machine.

Head injury and brain injury can be serious conditions and require immediate medical attention to prevent severe complications. To learn more about traumatic brain injury and how many victims and their families choose to file a traumatic brain injury lawsuit, please read other articles on this site.