Name
HLTH 103
CONCUSSIONS & HEAD INJURIES
HEAD INJURY
• Injury to the scalp, skull, or brain
• Precisely defined as “ any head injury that does not damage the skull or brain”
• Includes the following:
• Cuts
• Abrasions
• Contusions
• Skull fractures
• Hemorrhaging
• Concussions
• TBI
SUPERFICIAL HEAD INJURIES
• Children under 5 and adults over 85 at highest risk
• Tend to be less serious
• Cuts, lacerations, abrasions, contusions
• Happen in a range of activities
• Sports
• Workplace accidents
• Day to day life
• Shouldn’t be treated with a lesser degree of care
• Can still lead to complications
• excessive blood loss
• infection
SUPERFICIAL INJURIES: WHEN TO SEEK HELP
• Wound does not stop bleeding
• Visible and excessive deformity present
• Wound begins to smell or becomes discolored
• Wound emits fluid discharge (sign of infection)
• Any burning, tingling, or unusual sensation on or around wound site
• Any neurological symptoms (dizziness, fatigue, tingling in arms fingers or feet, blurred vision etc)
• usually an indicator of a more serious injury
• All head injuries have potentially dangerous implications and should be treated with the appropriate level of care and caution
SUPERFICIAL HEAD INJURIES: TREATMENT
• Clean and disinfect any open wounds that may be present
• If possible stop bleeding before bandaging (head wounds have a tendency to bleed a lot, it may take longer than expected)
• Check bandages regularly, if bleeding resumes or cannot be stopped seek medical help
• Pain medication as needed
• Stitches for deeper wounds
• Clotting agents
PREVENTION
• Protective equipment during everyday tasks and activities
• Helmets during cycling, horse riding, and sports
• Seat belts and airbags when driving
• Obeying warning signs and labels
• Common sense
• Child proofing the home and not leaving children unobserved
CONCUSSIONS & TBI • TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury)- occurs when an external force traumatically
injures the brain
• Can be a result of a direct blow to the head or whiplash from a blow to another part of the body
• Most common causes are violence, construction, transportation accidents, and sports
• Estimated that between 1.6 and 3.8 TBI’s per year are due to sports and recreation
• Called the “signature injury of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan”
TBI SYMPTOMS
• Dizziness
• Confusion
• Drowsiness
• Fatigue
• CSF/Bloody discharge from ears and/or nose
• Uneven pupil size
• Tingling/numbness in extremities
• Blurred vision
• Symptoms will vary depending on the part of the brain that has been injured
CONCUSSIONS
• Concussions are a type of TBI and the most well known
• Occur when the brain hits the inside of the skull at high speed
• Same type of symptoms as TBI
• Individuals also frequently experience changes in mood as well as post- traumatic amnesia
• Experiencing one concussion makes an individual more susceptive to another
• Diagnosed by presence of symptoms in conjunction with neural imaging in some cases
• If the mechanism of injury is unknown it can be difficult to diagnose due to it sharing symptoms with other injuries and disorders
COMPLICATIONS • Loss of hearing, vision, and smell
• Memory loss
• Coma
• Dementia (later in life, usually after multiple injuries)
• Brain hemorrhaging
• Can result in a buildup of pressure in the skull causing significantly more damage than the original injury itself
TREATMENT
• Control and monitoring of intercranial pressure
• Neural imaging to rule out hemorrhaging and CSF buildup
• Bed rest
• Limited exposure to light and loud noise
• Physical/occupational therapy as needed in severe cases
• It is important to identify and treat TBI as soon as possible in order to prevent worsening of the situation and further injury
PREVENTION
• Use of safety equipment in sports, everyday life, and the workplace
• Helmets in sports, hard hats in construction, seatbelts when driving
• Education about mechanisms of injury
• Axial loading
• Head up vs head down tackling
• Education about repeated injuries and their consequences and increase in likelihood
REFERENCES • Bray, R. M., Pemberton, M. R., Lane, M. E., Hourani, L. L., Mattiko, M. J., & Babeu, L. A.
(2010). Substance Use and Mental Health Trends Among U.S. Military Active Duty Personnel: Key Findings From the 2008 DoD Health Behavior Survey. Military Medicine, 175(6), 390-399.
• Eisen, S. V., Schultz, M. R., Vogt, D., Glickman, M. E., Elwy, A. R., Drainoni, M., & … Martin, J. (2012). Mental and Physical Health Status and Alcohol and Drug Use Following Return From Deployment to Iraq or Afghanistan. American Journal of Public Health, 102(S1), S66-S73.
• Mustillo, S. A., Kysar-Moon, A., Douglas, S. R., Hargraves, R., MacDermid Wadsworth, S., Fraine, M., & Frazer, N. L. (2015). Overview of Depression, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, and Alcohol Misuse Among Active Duty Service Members Returning From Iraq and Afghanistan, Self-Report and Diagnosis. Military Medicine, 180(4), 419- 427. doi:10.7205/MILMED-D-14-00335.
Concussions & Head Injuries
Head Injury
Superficial Head Injuries
Superficial Injuries: When to seek help
Superficial Head Injuries: treatment
Prevention
Concussions & TBI
TBI Symptoms
Concussions
Complications
Treatment
Prevention (2)
References
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