Bumps on the Head and when to Worry

If you receive a bump on your head and have no side effects other than a bit of pain, it is nothing to worry about except to be more cautious in the future. However, sometimes a bump on the head can cause symptoms of which could either be a concussion, or a type of hematoma. In that case, symptoms will appear.

A concussion can either be more on the mild side, or else a terrible trauma to the head. A concussion to any severe degree can definitely interfere with the ability to walk, disturb the balance and coordination, speaking ability, and cause memory impairments. If you have any of these symptoms after a bump on the head, then it is cause for concern. Other symptoms of a concussion right after a blow to the head are commonly, vomiting, dizziness, and a bad headache. These symptoms may occur within many hours after receiving a bump on the head.

Concussions generally require resting and some pain medications to get over them. It may take several days of resting before the person with a concussion fully recovers from the head trauma.

A more serious type of bump on the head that causes brain injury is known as an intracranial hematoma. In an intracranial hematoma, a blood vessel ruptures inside the brain. The blood vessel can also rupture between the skull and the brain. A subcranial hematoma is more serious and can be life threatening far more than a concussion.

When a person receives a sharp blow to the head and would show symptoms such as a headache that only gets worse. The pupils are not equal, there is weakness on one side of the body, the person is very confused and tired, and there is also nausea and vomiting. If the blood pressure is taken, it is found to also be high. As the blood vessel continues the damage inside the head, the affected person may also have seizure activity, and even go into a state of unconsciousness. This is why it is important to seek immediate medical care with these symptoms.

To sort out whether a person is having a concussion or a hematoma, the doctor will need to run some medical tests to see exactly what is going on. One of the first tests may be an CT scan, which gives clear images of what is happening inside the head. This test would sort out whether the problem is an actual concussion or if a hematoma is actually there.

Sometimes surgery is needed in order to correct a hematoma. That means going inside the head to open the skull, and the surgeon then takes out the blood. Recovery after any brain surgery especially takes time, such as in a period of maybe 6 months or more. The surgery to correct this problem is actually harder on adults than in kids.