Your use of this information means that you agree to the Terms of Use. Learn how we develop our content. To learn more about Healthwise, visit Healthwise. Healthwise, Healthwise for every health decision, and the Healthwise logo are trademarks of Healthwise, Incorporated. Request Appointment. Health Encyclopedia. Home » Health Resources » Health Encyclopedia.
Head Injury, Age 3 and Younger. Topic Overview Head injury Almost all children will bump their heads, especially when they are babies or toddlers and are just learning to roll over, crawl, or walk. When compared with adults: Young children can't control the movement of their heads as well as adults.
Their heads are larger in relation to their bodies. Their neck muscles are not as well developed. Young children's legs are somewhat shorter in proportion to the rest of their bodies.
This makes a child's center of gravity closer to the head than an adult's center of gravity. Young children are more likely to have an accident or fall as they learn new skills such as walking, running, and jumping. Check Your Symptoms Has your child had a head injury? How old are you? Less than 4 years. Are you male or female? Why do we ask this question? The medical assessment of symptoms is based on the body parts you have.
If you are transgender or nonbinary, choose the sex that matches the body parts such as ovaries, testes, prostate, breasts, penis, or vagina you now have in the area where you are having symptoms. If you have some organs of both sexes, you may need to go through this triage tool twice once as "male" and once as "female".
This will make sure that the tool asks the right questions for you. Is the wound bleeding? If you think the wound may need stitches, it's best to get them within 8 hours of the injury. Would you describe the bleeding as severe, moderate, or mild? Does your child have symptoms of shock? Do you think there could be a spinal cord injury? Are there any signs that the head injury is serious?
Did a seizure occur after the head injury? Did the seizure occur within the past 2 days 48 hours? Is there a wound that goes through the skull, such as a knife or gunshot wound? Are there any symptoms of a skull fracture? Is there swelling anywhere on the head? Swelling in certain areas of the head can be a sign of a skull fracture.
Is the only swelling a bump or "goose egg" on the forehead? Swelling in any other area of the head, such as the temple area or the side or back of the head, could be more serious. Did your child pass out lose consciousness after the injury?
When did your child pass out? Within the past 24 hours. More than 24 hours 1 full day after the injury. Was there a lot of force involved in the head injury? Some examples are a fall onto the head from a height taller than the child, or a very hard blow to the head, such as in a car crash or a forceful sports injury. When did the head injury occur?
Less than 24 hours ago. From 1 full day 24 hours to 1 week ago. More than 1 week ago. Has your child vomited more than once since the injury? Do you think that the head injury may have been caused by abuse? A head injury caused by abuse is serious at any age, but this is especially true for babies. Are there any other symptoms that may be related to the head injury? Some symptoms may appear days or even more than a week after a head injury.
Are the symptoms:. Getting worse? Staying about the same not better or worse? Getting better? Has your child had symptoms for more than 2 weeks after the injury? These include: Your age. Babies and older adults tend to get sicker quicker. Your overall health. If you have a condition such as diabetes, HIV, cancer, or heart disease, you may need to pay closer attention to certain symptoms and seek care sooner. Medicines you take. Certain medicines, such as blood thinners anticoagulants , medicines that suppress the immune system like steroids or chemotherapy, herbal remedies, or supplements can cause symptoms or make them worse.
Recent health events , such as surgery or injury. These kinds of events can cause symptoms afterwards or make them more serious. Your health habits and lifestyle , such as eating and exercise habits, smoking, alcohol or drug use, sexual history, and travel. Try Home Treatment You have answered all the questions. Try home treatment to relieve the symptoms. Call your doctor if symptoms get worse or you have any concerns for example, if symptoms are not getting better as you would expect.
You may need care sooner. With severe bleeding , any of these may be true: Blood is pumping from the wound. The bleeding does not stop or slow down with pressure. Blood is quickly soaking through bandage after bandage. With moderate bleeding , any of these may be true: The bleeding slows or stops with pressure but starts again if you remove the pressure. The blood may soak through a few bandages, but it is not fast or out of control.
With mild bleeding , any of these may be true: The bleeding stops on its own or with pressure. The bleeding stops or slows to an ooze or trickle after 15 minutes of pressure. It may ooze or trickle for up to 45 minutes. Other symptoms related to a head injury that may appear later include: Repeated episodes of feeling dizzy or lightheaded.
This includes bleeding, bruises or swelling within the brain. They are suspected by the symptoms listed below: Hard to wake up or keep awake or Acts or talks confused or Slurred speech or Weakness of arms or legs or Walking is not steady. These symptoms are an emergency. If they happen, call Brain rest means a gradual return to full studying and school attendance. Physical rest means a gradual return to normal activity, work and gym class. If symptoms occur like a headache , the child needs to return to the previous level of physical and mental activity.
In 24 hours, they can try again to take it to the next level. Athletes involved in sports need to have a stepwise plan for "return to play. Pain Scale Mild: your child feels pain and tells you about it. But, the pain does not keep your child from any normal activities. School, play and sleep are not changed.
Moderate: the pain keeps your child from doing some normal activities. It may wake him or her up from sleep. Severe: the pain is very bad. It keeps your child from doing all normal activities. Caution: protect the neck from any movement. Bellevue Everett Federal Way Seattle. Should your child see a doctor? All Symptoms.
If your child is not an infant, has not lost consciousness, and is alert and behaving normally after the fall or blow:. If your child's skin color and breathing are normal , and you don't sense a problem, let your child sleep unless the doctor tells you otherwise. There's no need to keep a child awake after a head injury. Trust your instincts. If you think your child doesn't look or seem right, partly awaken your child by sitting them up. They should fuss a bit and attempt to resettle.
If your child still seems very drowsy, try to awaken them fully. If you can't wake your child, call your health care provider or for an ambulance. It's impossible to protect kids from every injury. But you can help prevent head blows. Most important, childproof your home to prevent household accidents. Reviewed by: Kate M. Cronan, MD. Larger text size Large text size Regular text size.
What Are Head Injuries? What Causes Head Injuries? They also happen from: car crashes bike accidents sports injuries child abuse What Are the Types of Head Injuries? Head injuries can be: external and involve the scalp internal and involve the skull, brain, or blood vessels An injury can cause a concussion, contusion, fracture, or bleeding: A concussion is a type of mild traumatic brain injury.
It happens when a blow to the head or another injury moves the head back and forth with a lot of force. This causes chemical changes in the brain and sometimes damages brain cells.
0コメント