Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsHead Injury SymptomsWhat to Do at HomePreventionOutlook
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Head Injury Symptoms
What to Do at Home
Prevention
Outlook
Verywell / Jessica Olah
Symptoms of Types of Head Injuries
Mild
A mild head injury can be painful or uncomfortable, but otherwise isn’t anything to worry about. There will likely be tears and possibly a large bump or “goose egg,” bruising, and mild bleeding.
A head injury is considered “mild” if it’s closed. This means there’s no fracture,concussion, or other brain injury.
A mild head injury typically does not require medical attention unless the bleeding won’t stop.
Moderate
A concussion is a moderate head injury that occurs when a forceful blow to the head causes soft brain tissue to bounce against the hard skull. That shakeup can damage brain cells, usually for just a short time.
Signs of a concussion include:
Watch and Wait
Severe
Treatment
A period of observation is typically used for moderate head injuries in babies to determine whether a cranial computed tomography (CT) is needed.A traumatic brain injury may require neurosurgery.
Even a moderate head injury can cause symptoms that last several weeks. Your child will likely require more frequent pediatrician visits for monitoring. If symptoms persist beyond six weeks, more testing may be needed.
Falls
There’s no shortage of ways babies can fall, but the height from which they fall doesn’t always correlate to the seriousness of the head injury. Research shows kids younger than 12 months are most apt to fall from a bed, their caretaker’s arms, or a child carrier.
Regardless of how they tumble, falls are actually the leading cause of injury in kids. They make up more than 50% of nonfatal injuries in babies under the age of 1.
The good news? Falls rarely lead to major head trauma. In one study, fewer than 3% of young children who had fallen from things like furniture or a stroller experienced atraumatic brain injury(an injury that causes damage to the brain).
Accidental Impacts
Crashes
Make sure your child’s car seat is properly installed. If you’re not sure, call your local highway patrol or family resource center to find out about free car seat safety checks in your area.
Child Abuse
There are roughly 1,300 reported cases of abusive head trauma (AHT) in babies every year in the United States.AHT occurs when achild is violently shaken, for example, or when their head is beaten against a hard object, like a wall. One-quarter of babies with AHT will die.
Summary
Call your child’s healthcare provider or seek emergency care if they have symptoms such as loss of consciousness, vomiting, difficulty waking up, or a change in behavior.
A Word From Verywell
—NICHOLAS R. METRUS, MD, MEDICAL EXPERT BOARD
16 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
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