Head Injury: Causes, Types And Symptoms

Healthline defines head injury as, any injury to the brain, skull, or scalp is considered a head injury. A traumatic brain injury can range from a minor bump or bruise to a severe head injury. Concussions, skull fractures, and scalp wounds are all common head injuries. Depending on what caused your head injury and how severe it is, the implications and treatments differ dramatically.

What causes a head injury?

According to the Health line reports, head injuries can be classified into two groups based on the source of the injury. Head injuries can occur as a result of strikes to the head or as a result of shaking. Shaking-induced head injuries are most prevalent in newborns and small children, but they can happen to anyone at any moment. Head injuries produced by a blow to the head are most commonly linked to Incidents involving motor vehicles, accidents, physical attacks, and accidents involving sports.

Your skull will, in most situations, protect your brain from serious injury. Head injuries, on the other hand, are often linked to spinal injuries.

What are the most common types of head injuries?

1. Hematoma

A hematoma is a blood clot that forms outside of the blood vessels. A hematoma in the brain can be quite dangerous. Pressure can build up inside your skull as a result of the clotting. You may lose consciousness or suffer lasting brain damage as a result of this.

2. Hemorrhage

Uncontrolled bleeding is referred to as a hemorrhage. Subarachnoid hemorrhage is bleeding in the space around your brain, while intracerebral hemorrhage is bleeding within your brain tissue.

3. Concussion

When an injury to the head is severe enough to induce brain injury, it is called a concussion. It’s supposed to be caused by the brain colliding with the hard walls of your skull or by fast acceleration and deceleration forces. In most cases, the loss of function caused by a concussion is only transitory. Repeated concussions, on the other hand, might cause lifelong damage.

4. Edema

Edema, or swelling, can result from any type of brain injury. Swelling of the surrounding tissues is common in many accidents, but it’s very dangerous when it happens in the brain. The swelling in your skull is too much for your skull to stretch to accommodate. This causes a buildup of pressure in your brain, causing it to press against your skull.

5. Skull fracture

Your skull, unlike most other bones in your body, lacks bone marrow. As a result, the skull is extremely durable and difficult to break. Because a broken skull can’t absorb the force of a blow, it’s more likely that your brain will be damaged as well.

6. Diffuse axonal injury

A diffuse axonal injury is a type of brain injury that does not result in bleeding yet damages brain cells. Because the brain cells have been damaged, they are unable to function. It can also cause edema, which can worsen the situation.

What are the signs and symptoms of a head injury?

Because your head has more blood arteries than any other area of your body, bleeding on the surface or within your brain with a head injury is a severe worry. Not all head traumas, however, result in bleeding. A headache, lightheadedness, a spinning sensation, moderate confusion, nausea, and brief ringing in the ears are all common signs of a minor head injury.

A severe head injury has many symptoms that are comparable to those of a small head injury. Unconsciousness, seizures, vomiting, coordination problems, serious disorientation, an inability to focus, abnormal eye movements, a loss of muscle control, consistent major headache, memory loss, mood changes, are some of the symptoms that can occur.

Head injuries are serious and should not be treated lightly. If you suspect you’ve suffered a major head injury, see your doctor straight away.

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