The child hit his head: what to look for, what kind of doctor to contact. Consequences of head trauma

All children are very fond of outdoor games. One thing is bad: laughter and contented screams often turn into tears, for jumping and running often lead to injuries. But bruises, bruises and scratches rarely cause concern to parents. How to provide first aid if the child is not seriously injured, everyone knows: just treat the problem site with an antiseptic remedy or ointment from bruises and monitor the condition of the injured area of the skin until it heals.

But when a child hits his head during a fall, many parents begin to panic. This is due to the fact that baby bones are not as strong as in adults, and the baby can easily get a concussion or damage the skull.

What should I do if my child hits his head? What to look for first? How to help? What doctor to visit? On these questions, parents begin to frantically look for answers, especially if the kid lands completely unsuccessfully.

Are head bumps dangerous for a child?

Little children constantly fall when they learn to walk, play or indulge. Consequences can be different. For some, everything ends well, for others - with serious bruises and bruises.

The child's organism is not arranged as an adult. Nature must have taken care of the child's safety. Between the brain and the cranial bones of the baby is a large amount of fluid. In case of a fall, it protects the central organ of the central nervous system from damage. To mitigate the consequences of an unsuccessful landing helps the presence of an uncapped segment of the skull. Spring is capable of self-destroying the force of impact.

The risk of a serious head injury during a fall directly depends on the age. The younger the child, the more fragile his skull bones. So, the chance of getting a dangerous brain injury increases.

If the infant falls and bangs his head, you should immediately consult a doctor. The specialist will conduct a survey and, if necessary, select a treatment that will help to avoid the serious consequences of trauma.

Is the backside of the child dangerous for the child?

If the child hit the back of the head during the fall, you should start worrying. This landing is fraught with serious consequences:

• Open or closed craniocerebral trauma;
• Concussion;
• Contusion of brain tissue;
• Deformation of the skull and subsequent compression of the central organ of the central nervous system.

In rare cases, children experience impaired vision, impaired coordination.

It is worthwhile, however, to note the following: if the child hit the back of the head, the consequences will not always be deplorable. The result of a fall can be a normal bump or bruise. Nevertheless, it is necessary to know if any disturbing signs appear, you should immediately consult a doctor. As they say, it's better to perebdet than to not have to.

Symptoms of brain injury include:

• The appearance of nausea and vomiting;
• Loss of consciousness;
• Acute headache;
• Increased sweating;
• Trembling in the hands and feet;
• Darkness in the eyes;
• pallor.

Having found out one of these symptoms, do not postpone visit to the expert not to aggravate a status of the child.

What other symptoms of head injury?

If a child bumped his head, what to look for? Observe the behavior and appearance of the victim. Try not to let him fall asleep within 2-3 hours after the fall, in order to be able to notice the appearance of anxiety symptoms in time, among which:

• Increased drowsiness;
• Sluggish state of health;
• Irritability or tearfulness uncharacteristic for the child;
• Different reaction of pupils to light;
• dizziness;
• Problems with maintaining equilibrium;
• The appearance of noise in the ears;
• Decreased appetite;
• Bleeding from the nose or the auricles;
• sleep disturbance;
• Deterioration of eyesight, hearing;
• Bruises under the eyes;
• Dilated pupils for no apparent reason;
• An admixture of blood in urine and feces.

The child hit his head: what to do?

The ability to provide correct first aid is a guarantee that the baby will not have serious complications. If the child has fallen head down, it is necessary to examine the place of injury, determine the severity of the injury and treat the wound, if any.

First aid will depend on the type of damage that the baby got. If he has a lump on his head, we need to apply a compress. Take ice from the refrigerator, frozen fruits, vegetables or meat in the package. Wrap in cotton cloth or gauze and attach to the damaged place. The compress should be kept 3-5 minutes. It will help calm the pain and remove puffiness.

Instead of ice, you can use magnesium. The powder must be dissolved in water, soak a piece of sterile gauze in it and attach it to the bump. Repeat the procedure should be three times a day. Magnesium sulphate will relieve swelling and reduce pain.

Hematoma can be treated with ointment from bruises and bruises. To cope with the trauma in a short time will help preparations "Rescuer", "Troxevasin", "Bruise-OFF".

Help with abrasions and bleeding

Was there an open wound when the baby hit his head? What should I look for when I help?

See if the bleeding has opened. If the damage is serious, trim the hair around it so that it does not interfere with the treatment and does not provoke the onset of the inflammatory process.

Clean the wound with a cotton swab dipped in hydrogen peroxide or chlorhexidine. If blood comes from the damaged area, apply a compress with the antiseptic for 10 minutes.

After this time, lubricate the skin around the wound with iodine or green. Make sure that the product does not get into the injured area. Burn tissues will only slow the healing process.

If the bleeding does not stop within 10 minutes, call for an ambulance.

First aid in the absence of visible damage

If the child hit his head, but on examination you did not find any external damage, do not rush to rejoice. Symptoms of craniocerebral trauma can appear in a few hours.

Limit the child's physical and mental activity. On the day of the fall, do not allow him to sit at the computer, read too much or watch TV. Let the baby lie as much as possible and rest.

How to help if a child bangs his head? What should I look for if there is no external damage? Observe the behavior and condition of the baby. Watch for the quality of his sleep and appetite. Find out how he feels.

If you suspect cerebral trauma, contact your doctor immediately.

The child hit his head. Impact of the impact: what could they be?

Even a light blow to the head can have very unpleasant consequences:

• Disruption of the central organ of the central nervous system due to trauma;
• Increased arterial pressure due to improper regulation of vascular tone;
• Circulatory disturbance;
• Cystic formations;
• Increased intracranial pressure;
• Compression of the brain with subsequent atrophy.

The severity of the consequences depends on how serious the injury was. An important role is played by timely treatment. If the therapeutic course is started, when the craniocerebral trauma was in a neglected state, the recovery period will be long, and the consequences are severe.

Visit to the doctor

Injuries to the head after the fall is a child traumatologist or surgeon. The specialist will begin the examination with general questions about the child's well-being. He learns what symptoms of craniocerebral trauma have appeared. If your suspicions are confirmed, the child is hospitalized.

The hospital will conduct a comprehensive examination that will accurately determine if the baby has internal injuries and find out how bad the child is.

Depending on the recommendations of the attending physician for the examination of children, the following methods are used:

• Neurosonography. Used for children 1-1,5 years. It allows using ultrasound through the fontanel to investigate the structure of the brain. Survey of this device has no negative consequences.
• Lumbar puncture. For analysis take spinal fluid, if there is a suspicion of intracranial hemorrhage.
• Magnetic resonance imaging of the head (MRI). The most informative and safe way of examination. Shows, whether there were changes in brain tissues.
• Computer tomography. X-ray examination. You can go through this procedure no more than twice a year. Creates an X-ray image of a section of the brain, which allows you to accurately assess the condition of the organ.

In early childhood, computer and magnetic resonance imaging of the head (MRI) is done under general anesthesia. This is due to the fact that during the examination it is necessary to stay in a stationary position for a long time. For a child not to move a long period is very difficult.

If the child hit his head, do not panic immediately. Try to provide first aid. Observe the state of the baby. If you notice any alarming symptoms, contact your doctor right away. Timely treatment will help to bring the child's health in order for a short period of time and relieve the negative consequences of trauma.