An accident is often just around the corner. Sometimes a blow hits so hard that you sustain an injury. Read below what to do.
Injury to the brain
- Brain injury
- Symptoms
- Does it happen often?
- Cause of brain injury
- What happens after the accident?
- To the doctor
- The treatment
- Recovery
Brain injury
It can suddenly happen that you get a hard blow on the head from something you did not expect. This could cause you to suffer a brain injury. Your skull does not necessarily have to sustain an injury to develop a brain injury. During the impact, the brain shakes just a little too hard that the brain can hit the other part of the brain. This causes swelling in the head which causes the symptoms; see below, can cause. If the skull is torn, there is a much greater chance of having suffered a brain injury. The extent of the damage determines whether there is a chance of permanent damage or how long recovery will take.
Symptoms
- Headache
- Confusion
- Dizziness
- Weakening of the muscles
In case of serious injury
- Unconsciousness
- Partial paralysis
- Easily irritable
- Decreased liveliness
- Depression
Does it happen often?
About 1 in 500 people end up in hospital every year due to head injuries. About 1 in 100 people will actually suffer a brain injury as a result.
Cause of brain injury
- Accident in the company
- Traffic accident
- Gunshot wounds
- Fights
- A fall (e.g. down the stairs)
What happens after the accident?
It can even occur
To the doctor
If you think someone has the symptoms described above, contact a doctor as soon as possible. It is important that you know what happened, or if it happened to yourself; that you have witnesses who saw it happen.
The treatment
In the hospital, a CAT scan is usually made of the brain. This involves laying on a kind of plank that can move. The head is secured and it is very important not to move. This can cause the photos to become blurry. An X-ray scan is made of many corners of the head to see what damage the accident has done to the brain.
Recovery
Bed rest is very important for recovery. Sometimes one even has to stay in the hospital for observation for a few days. This has to do with the severity of the injury.
Medicines
Medicines should only be used on the advice of the doctor. It is very dangerous if you try to get something for the pain yourself.