Head Injury

Head Injuries
A head injury is an injury to the head, and it may or may not involve the brain. Head injury most commonly includes any injury to the scalp, skull, or brain. Head injuries can take many forms from broken skull bones, to brain injury, or bleeding from or within the skull. They can be classified in several different ways in order to represent the location or type of injury. Closed head injuries are those where the skull is not penetrated. Open injuries are those in which the skull is penetrated or broken, which can increase the risk of infection. Head injury is a common cause of hospitalization. Men are twice as likely to suffer a head injury as women.

Common head injuries include:

Skull Fracture:

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI):

Concussion:

Cerebral Contusion:

Subdural Hematoma:

Epidural Hematoma:

Intracerebral Hemorrhage:

Swelling of the Brain :

CAUSES AND SYMPTOMS
The most common causes of head injury are traffic accidents, falls, sporting accidents, assaults or fights, and gun shot wounds. The head or brain can be damaged directly by things such as blows to the head, or indirectly by things like lack of oxygen, or brain swelling. Symptoms of head trauma can include swelling of the scalp, lacerations, and bleeding from open head wounds. For wounds that involve more force to the head, and cause some brain injury, the person can become confused, suffer some memory loss, have amnesia, or lose the ability to learn properly. As the brain heals some of the functions will return to normal.

TREATMENT AND PROGNOSIS
Most often a Computed Tomography (CT) scan of the head and neck is necessary to check for brain bruising. In the case of skull fractures or bleeding within the skull surgery may be necessary. For people suffering mild head injury recovery can be complete and fairly quick. However, symptoms such as dizziness and headache can last for up to a year. People suffering from severe head injury can suffer permanent physical or mental disability. Recovery in this case may take five years or more depending on the person's age, and the severity of the injury.