Carenotes > Minor Head Injury In Children

Minor Head Injury In Children

GENERAL INFORMATION:

What is a minor head injury? A minor head injury can cause the brain to have trouble working normally for a short time. Minor head injuries are common in childhood and are usually not a serious problem. It is most often caused by a blow to the head. A minor head injury may happen because of a fall, a motor vehicle crash, or a sports injury. Sometimes being forcefully shaken may cause a minor head injury.

What are the signs and symptoms of a minor head injury? Every minor head injury is different. Right after the injury, your child may seem dazed. Other symptoms may show up right away. Some symptoms may not happen for days or weeks after the minor head injury. Symptoms of a minor head injury may last anywhere from a few hours to a few weeks. After the injury, your child may have one or more of these symptoms:

• Mild to moderate headache.
  
  
• Dizziness or loss of balance.
  
  
• Nausea (feeling sick) or vomiting (throwing up).
  
  
• Change in mood (becomes restless or irritable).
  
  
• Change in the way your child plays or works at school.
  
  
• Trouble thinking, remembering things, or concentrating (giving full attention to one thing for a period of time).
  
  
• Ringing in the ears.
  
  
• Short-term loss of newly-learned skills, such as toilet training.
  
  
• Drowsiness or decreased amount of energy.
  
  
• Change in normal sleeping pattern (sleeps more than usual or cannot sleep).

Symptoms may be so minor that they are hard to notice. Some children may act fine, even if they feel different than normal. The injury itself may make it hard for your child to know that something is different. You will need to ask your child if they have any symptoms. You will also need to watch your child more closely for a few weeks.

What signs and symptoms should concern me in the days following a minor head injury? It is common to have a headache or feel dizzy after a minor head injury. Some children who are thought to have a minor injury may have a more serious injury. The symptoms of a serious head injury may not show up right away. It is very important to watch your child for more serious symptoms after a minor head injury.

• Your child may be at higher risk of having a more serious head injury if he:
  
  
  • Had a previous head injury or concussion.
    
    
  • Is on medicine that thins his blood, or has a bleeding disorder.
    
    
  • Is less than one year old.
    
    
  • Has other neurologic (brain) problems.
    
    
  • Has difficulty walking and falls often.
    
    
  • Is active in high impact contact sports, like soccer and football.
  
  
• Call your child's caregiver if your child has any of the following symptoms:
  
  
  • Is harder to wake up than usual.
    
    
  • His symptoms or condition gets worse during the first several days after his injury.
    
    
  • Will not stop crying or will not eat.
    
    
  • Has headaches that are very bad, or that get worse in the days after the injury.
    
    
  • Symptoms that last longer than six weeks after the injury.
  
  
• Your child should be seen in an emergency room, doctor's office, or clinic immediately if he shows signs of:
  
  
  • Increasing confusion or a change in personality.
    
    
  • Blood or clear fluid coming out of the ears or nose.
    
    
  • Not knowing where he is, or does not recognize people that are familiar.
    
    
  • New problems with vision (blurry or double vision).
    
    
  • Repeated or forceful vomiting.
    
    
  • Slurred or confused speech.
    
    
  • Your child is an infant and has a bulging soft spot (fontanelle) on his head.
    
    
  • Weakness, loss of feeling, or new problems with coordination (balance and movement).
  
  
• Dial 9-1-1 or 0 (Operator) for an ambulance if your child has any of the following symptoms:
  
  
  • Pupils (black part in the center of the eye) are unequal in size, and this is new for your child.
    
    
  • Seizures (convulsions).
    
    
  • Cannot be woken up.
    
    
  • Stops responding to you or passes out (faints).

What can be done for my child after a minor head injury? Usually no treatment is needed for a minor head injury. The most important thing you can do for your child is to watch for signs of a more serious problem.

• Allow your child to get plenty of rest.
  
  
• Sometimes a blow to the head may cause bruising, swelling, or a cut on your child's skin. An ice pack may be used to decrease your child's pain and swelling. It is best to start using ice right after an injury and up to 24 to 48 hours afterwards. Do not use ice directly on the skin, or for longer than 20 minutes at a time. If ice is not covered or is put on one area of your child's body for too long, it may cause frostbite.
  
  
• Your child needs to be protected from another blow to the head for a period of time. It is dangerous to receive another head injury before the brain has recovered (gotten better) from the first one. Your child may not be able to play sports or do activities that may result in a blow to the head. Your child's caregiver will let you know when it is OK for your child to return to normal activities.
  
  
• Let your child's teachers, coaches, or daycare providers know about the injury and symptoms to watch for.

Risks:

• Your child may have been hurt in other ways when he got his head injury. For example, he may have a neck or face injury. A minor head injury may mask more serious problems, such as bleeding or a blood clot in the brain. This is why it is important to watch for worsening symptoms in your child following an injury. The risk of serious problems are decreased if you and your child carefully follow your caregiver's advice.
  
  
• Each additional head injury your child has may increase his risk of having problems later in life. These problems may include poor coordination, or trouble thinking or concentrating. Having repeated injuries to the head can be life threatening.

Where can I go for more information? You can contact one of the following national organizations for more information about minor head injuries:

• Brain Injury Association
  8201 Greensboro Drive
  McLean, VA 22102
  Phone: 1-703-761-0750
  Phone: 1-800-444-6443
  Web Address: http://www.biausa.org
  

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
  1600 Clifton Road
  Atlanta, GA 30333
  Phone: 1-404-6393311
  Phone: 1-800-3113435
  Web Address: http://www.cdc.gov
  

CARE AGREEMENT:

You have the right to help plan your child's care. To help with this plan, you must learn about your child's health condition and how it may be treated. You can then discuss treatment options with your child's caregivers. Work with them to decide what care may be used to treat your child.

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