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

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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