Why You Must See A Doctor Even After A Minor Head Injury

Often while playing or going about our day, we end up bumping our head or slipping on the floor and hitting the head. Head injury, no matter how minor, should never be taken lightly or ignored as it may cause internal damage. Even though you might not spot any bleeding, a clot may form which can be fatal. Hence, it is always recommended to consult a doctor after a head injury.

March 20 marks World Head Injury Awareness Day which is celebrated to raise awareness of and importance of getting head injuries checked. There have been several cases wherein a head injury showed its effects after a few days or many years. Hence, to ensure that you are perfectly healthy and sound, it is great to consult a doctor.

Neurosurgeon and Head of the Department, Medical College, Kota, Dr SN Gautamcharya said that the day aims to raise awareness and pass on the information to the common people about the measures that can be taken to prevent head injury. There have been various cases where people suffered head injuries and died because of this. Timely medical intervention can save the lives of many people.

What Counts as a Head Injury?

As per the doctor, any kind of injury to the skin, bones or the brain is called a head injury. Symptoms of a head injury may appear within minutes or hours after. Sometimes, it may take years to surface. Head injury can be caused due to various reasons like road accidents, getting into fights, falling from a certain height or stairs, injury during sports, natural disasters like floods or earthquakes and much more.

A doctor suggests a CT scan when a person’s memory is affected after a head injury or if there are symptoms like headache or vomiting. While injuries cannot always be detected on the outside, there can be internal damage and bruising. One may develop splitting headaches, vomiting, sleepiness or sudden behaviour change.

There can be other symptoms like change in the size of the pupil, bleeding from the nose or ears, memory loss, seizures, not being able to move certain body parts of the whole body, not being completely conscious or becoming unconscious.

In case one suffers a head injury, go to the hospital immediately. If the person is bleeding from their head, the doctor will first try to stop the bleeding by using a bandage or clean cloth. Then, to decrease the swelling, ice is applied for some time. Doing so will reduce the swelling as well as the pain.