Head injury – first aid: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia

A head injury is any trauma that injures the scalp, skull, or brain. The injury may be only a minor bump on the skull or a serious brain injury.

Head injury can be either closed or open (penetrating).

Head injuries include:

Head injuries may cause bleeding:

Common causes of head injury include:

Most of these injuries are minor because the skull protects the brain. Some injuries are severe enough to require a stay in the hospital.

Symptoms of a head injury can occurright away.Or symptoms develop slowly over several hours or days. Even if the skull is not fractured, the brain can bang against the inside of the skull and be bruised. The head may look fine, but problems could result from bleeding or swelling inside the skull.

In any serious head trauma, the spinal cord is also likely to beinjured.

Some head injuries cause changes in brain function. This is called a traumatic brain injury. Concussion is a mild traumatic brain injury. Symptoms of a concussion can range from mild to severe.

Learning to recognize a serious head injury and give basic first aid can save someone's life.

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Head injury - first aid: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia