A serious head injury can happen suddenly—from a road accident, a fall, a sports injury, or a strong blow to the head. Sometimes a person may look fine immediately after the injury, but dangerous symptoms can appear later. A concussion is one type of traumatic brain injury (TBI), and it can affect how a person thinks, feels, moves, or behaves.
🚨 Know the Warning Signs
After a head injury, don't ignore symptoms such as a worsening headache, repeated vomiting, seizures, unusual confusion or behavior, slurred speech, weakness or numbness, difficulty coordinating movements, or increasing sleepiness. Unequal pupils or difficulty waking the person are also emergency warning signs.
These symptoms can sometimes indicate a more serious brain injury, including bleeding or swelling inside the skull.
What Should You Do in an Emergency?
1. Get emergency medical help immediately.
If someone has serious warning signs after a head injury, they need urgent medical assessment. Don't simply wait to see if the symptoms disappear.
2. Keep the person safe and still.
Avoid unnecessary movement, particularly if the injury involved a major fall or accident. If there may also be a neck or spinal injury, extra care is important.
3. Check their breathing and responsiveness.
If the person is unconscious but breathing normally, first-aid guidance recommends placing them in the recovery position while getting emergency help, when it is safe to do so.
4. Don't let them return to sports or risky activity.
If a concussion is suspected, the person should be removed from sports immediately and should not return until cleared by a healthcare professional.
Don't Ignore a "Small" Head Injury
One of the biggest mistakes people make is assuming that a head injury is harmless because there is no large cut or because the person didn't lose consciousness. Concussion can occur without someone being knocked out, and symptoms may not always be obvious immediately.
Pay attention to changes in headache, memory, balance, speech, behavior, alertness, and coordination.
A Simple Rule to Remember
Head injury + worsening symptoms = don't wait. Get emergency medical care.
A person's brain is too important to take chances with. When something doesn't seem right after a head injury, getting professional medical help quickly is the safest choice.
Important: This article is for general health information and is not a substitute for emergency medical care. If someone currently has severe symptoms after a head injury, seek emergency medical help now