What to do if the child hit the back of the head: what to look for and what are the consequences of a head injury? The child fell and hit his head, but there are no injuries - we monitor the general condition of the baby

The child fell out of bed and hit his head: possible injuries

When small children fall, a blow to the head is inevitable. What is important is not exactly which place he hit when he fell (on the forehead or the back of the head), but the severity of the brain damage.

A child's body differs in many ways from an adult's, the bones of the skull have not fully fused up to a year (they are easily displaced), and the brain tissues are fragile and immature. All of these factors predispose to more severe brain damage.

All traumatic brain injuries are divided into:

open (damaged bones and soft tissues)

closed (when the integrity of the bones of the skull and soft tissues is not broken)

Closed brain injuries are divided into:

brain concussion

brain contusion

brain compression

With a concussion, there are no changes in the structure of the substance of the brain, with a bruise, foci of destruction of the brain substance occur, and compression appears against the background of a bruise due to rupture of blood vessels or fragments of the skull.

If the child fell and hit his head (back of the head or forehead), there may be a soft tissue injury - the easiest injury when the brain does not suffer in any way. Then there is a bump or abrasion at the site of impact.

Symptoms of a brain injury

Brain concussion manifested by a brief loss of consciousness. In children younger than a year, it can be difficult to notice. It is possible to assume such a state if some time (1-3 minutes) has passed from the moment of falling to the appearance of crying. The child may vomit. Up to 3 months, vomiting can be repeated. There is blanching of the skin, sweating, as well as drowsiness and refusal to eat. Children under one year old on the first night after injury.

With a brain injury loss of consciousness may be longer (more than an hour), there may be signs of impaired breathing and cardiac activity.

If the child fell out of bed and fell in such a way that skull fracture his condition may be severe. Perhaps the outflow of cerebrospinal fluid (clear liquid) or blood from the nose, ear. There are bruises around the eyes (a symptom of glasses). However, symptoms may appear several hours after the injury.

How to assess the severity of the injury if the child fell and hit his head?

If the child has fallen from the bed (sofa, changing table or other surfaces), it is necessary to closely monitor his condition. In the case when everything ended with 10-15 minutes of crying, and the child's condition has not changed, you can not go to the doctor.

If the mother has at least some doubt that the injury is not dangerous, it is better to call a doctor, because it is more reliable to make sure that the child is healthy than to treat serious consequences later.

Children under 1.5 years old can do neurosonography. This procedure is painless, inexpensive and performed using an ultrasound machine. With its help, an increase in intracranial pressure and the presence of life-threatening hemorrhages are determined. At a later age, such a study will not work if a large fontanel is overgrown.

The child fell out of bed - first aid

If it appears at the site of impact, you can apply ice in a napkin or something cold. Magnesium has a resolving effect, lotions with such a solution should be done 2 times a day.

In the presence of bleeding, tissue in the form of a tampon is applied to the wound. If the bleeding does not stop for more than 15 minutes, you need to call an ambulance.

If the child fell and hit his forehead or the back of his head, then he should not sleep for an hour (this applies to children older than a year), because. by the adequacy of his answers and reactions to your questions, you can understand whether the brain has suffered. You can (and should) wake up and check your coordination at night.

The child must be monitored very closely and cared for for 7 days if the doctor has allowed to stay at home. The child needs peace and lack of visual stress (especially for children older than 1.5-2 years).

Should I call an ambulance if the child fell and hit his head?

In case of loss of consciousness and severe bleeding from the wound, it is urgent to call an ambulance. Before her arrival, it is better to lay the baby on its side, especially if there is vomiting (in this position, it will not choke).

If a child falls from a great height on his head or back, damage to the spine is possible. Then change the position of the baby should be very careful to avoid injury to the spinal cord.

An ambulance should be called when any of the alarming symptoms appear:

deterioration of health

the child "falls asleep on the go", feels dizzy (this applies to older children)

cramps or twitching of the muscles of the body

wide pupils do not constrict from bright light or pupils of different sizes

severe pallor

blood in urine, stool, or vomit

muscle paresis or paralysis

In severe brain injuries, appropriate treatment is prescribed only after a thorough examination of the child.

Prevention of head injuries in children due to falls

The situation when a child falls out of bed or a changing table happens most often with children under one year old. Therefore, you should not leave the baby alone, especially if he has already learned to roll over. It is better to leave the child on the floor (not naked, of course).

A changing table is a very dangerous thing, as it has a small area. Therefore, the mere presence of adults is not enough, you need to hold the child with your hand. It is better to swaddle the baby on the bed or sofa.

You can lay something soft or put pillows on the floor, in case the child does fall out of bed.

Children also "love" to fall out of strollers. Therefore, it is better to purchase lower models and strollers with high sides, do not neglect fastening the child.

Head contusion differs from all other types of traumatic brain injury in that there is no damage (rupture) of the skin. Usually occurs from a blow with a blunt object, in an accident or after a fall.

There are 2 main types of trauma:

Brain contusion (it is he who is given close attention in the article).
Bruising of the soft tissues of the head (the least dangerous).

The risk of developing one or another type of head injury depends on the intensity of the traumatic factor. The stronger it is, the deeper layers are affected.

At the same time, brain contusion is often combined with hemorrhage both in the brain tissue and under its arachnoid membrane, which aggravates the person's condition. Often, these patients are diagnosed with fractures of the skull bones.

The main symptoms of a head injury

Symptoms of a head injury fit into 3 main syndromes:

cerebral associated with a nonspecific brain response to trauma.
Local, depending on the immediate site of brain damage (injuries affecting the medulla oblongata are considered the most dangerous, since it contains the centers for regulating respiration and cardiac activity).
Meningeal due to irritation of the meninges.

Cerebral symptoms occur with a bruise of any severity. Their presence and connection with the traumatic factor allow the doctor to make a preliminary diagnosis.

These symptoms include:

diffuse pains in the head;
nausea causing vomiting;
dizziness;
reduced attention;
weakening of memory up to its loss for some events.

The appearance of meningeal symptoms indicates severe brain damage. Prognostically, this syndrome is not very favorable.

It is pointed to:

Strong headache;
tension in the muscles of the neck and back;
repeated vomiting, after which there is no relief, etc.

Local (focal) symptoms allow for topical diagnosis, i.e. guess in which lobe of the brain the pathological focus is located.

So, with a bruise of the back of the head, visual functions suffer. This is due to the fact that the peripheral nerve path from the eyeballs ends in the occipital lobe and there is a switch to the central one.

Therefore, a person may experience temporary blindness, double vision and other ophthalmic signs.

They should be differentiated from similar symptoms, but associated with direct trauma to the eye, which leads to retinal detachment. P A patient with a contusion of the nape of the head needs additional consultation with an ophthalmologist.

Focal symptoms in case of bruising of the frontal lobes also have a characteristic picture:

the unconscious state is replaced by mental and motor excitement;
confused mind;
aggression;
euphoria and incorrect assessment of one's condition;
reduced criticism, etc.

Head injuries are conditionally classified into 3 degrees, determining the severity of a person's condition and his further prognosis.

Light damage characterized by the following criteria:

Loss of consciousness lasting no more than a few minutes;
Its rapid recovery without auxiliary methods;
Cerebral symptoms prevail over focal ones;
Involuntary movements made by the eyeballs;
Sometimes sensitivity and motor activity may decrease in the opposite side of the body relative to the side of the brain injury (this symptom is more typical for a moderate bruise, but can also occur with a mild one);
Regression of clinical symptoms and morphological changes takes 2-3 weeks. Residual changes are practically not observed.

Moderate injury the brain is accompanied by a pronounced violation of the general condition.

Its features are:

Longer loss of consciousness - up to 2-4 hours;
Consciousness is stunned for several hours, up to a maximum of 24 hours;
Moderately expressed cerebral symptoms;
There are manifestations of meningeal syndrome;
Focal symptoms - loss of speech, perverted sensitivity, inability to normally move the limbs of the right or left side, increased breathing, and others.

(severe) poses a serious threat to life.

It may be accompanied by a coma that persists for several days. These patients have disorders in the work of the respiratory and cardiovascular systems, which require medical and hardware correction. Otherwise, death occurs.

Other signs of a severe injury are:

Loss of memory for events that preceded the injury
visual disturbances;
Motor restlessness;
Increased mental excitability, etc.

Bruising of the soft tissues of the head, which is not accompanied by damage to the brain, does not pose a serious danger to humans.

This is a fairly common condition that can be obtained from a blow to the head with a blunt object, while the integrity of the skin is not violated. Most often found in athletes, but can also be in everyday life.

A bump on the head with such a bruise is the leading symptom. She appears in the place where the blow was struck. When it is felt, pain is noted. There may be minor abrasions on the skin, but there is no epithelium defect as such.

Buds are the result of 2 interdependent processes:

Hemorrhages in the tissue due to mechanical rupture of blood vessels;
Puffiness due to the release of plasma into the surrounding tissues.

Usually, no specific treatment is required for a head injury. Immediately after injury, it is recommended to apply ice to the bruised area. This will lead to spasm of blood vessels and a decrease in hemorrhage.

Subsequently, to accelerate resorption, warming physiotherapeutic procedures (UHF, electrophoresis) are recommended. If the hematoma of the head after a bruise is massive, then surgical treatment may be required, consisting of two stages:

Opening of a hematoma (an incision is made on the skin under anesthesia);
Treatment of the hemorrhage cavity and drainage (the introduction of special tubes through which the outflow of the contents will be carried out and, if necessary, the introduction of antiseptics).

In some cases, soft tissue hematomas can suppurate (and this does not depend on their size). The risk of developing this complication in patients with diabetes mellitus increases.

With suppuration of the hemorrhage, it is opened and antibiotic therapy is prescribed. This approach will prevent the transition of purulent inflammation of soft tissues to the brain.

First aid at home and when to go to the hospital

First aid for a head injury - its quality and timeliness - determine the effectiveness of further treatment. Therefore, you need to know how to do it correctly.

The priority activities are:

Turning the head of the injured person to the side to prevent possible ingestion of vomit into the respiratory tract;
Removal of all removable dentures and removal of foreign bodies from the mouth;
If consciousness is preserved, then the person must lie down - it is forbidden to stand or sit;
Fixation of the cervical region by any means that are at hand.

In parallel with the provision of first aid, it is necessary to call an ambulance.

It should be remembered that when receiving any head injury, you should always consult a doctor, because. in some patients, bruises can be minimally symptomatic at the beginning, but then lead to severe consequences.

Diagnosis and treatment

Diagnosis of patients with suspected head injury is carried out in a complex way:

Radiography (to exclude fractures and identify local foci in the brain);
Spinal puncture (an increased number of red blood cells is determined);
Computed tomography (it can be used to identify not only the site of injury, but also the zone of therapeutic reserve - edema and ischemia).

The Glasgow scale helps to determine the degree of impaired consciousness. Depending on the amount of points, therapeutic measures and further prognosis are planned.

The principles of treatment for brain injury are determined by the nature and stage of pathological changes. Depending on this, primary and secondary damage to the nervous tissue is distinguished.

Primary- these are those that are directly due to the impact of a traumatic factor. These damages are represented by a variety of conditions:

Violation of the structure of nerve cells and glia (environment of the nervous tissue);
Breaking connections between nerve cells;
Vascular thrombosis;
Rupture of the vessel wall;
An increase in the permeability of cell membranes and energy starvation (the number of ATP molecules decreases), accompanied by cell death.

Around the immediate pathological focus there is a zone of hypersensitivity. These are living nerve cells, but easily vulnerable when exposed to any pathological factor (lack of glucose or oxygen).

It is this zone that represents the therapeutic reserve, i.e. with proper treatment, these cells will replace the dead ones, and there will be no loss of the function for which the bruised focus was responsible.

Secondary damage develops as a result of the inflammatory process that is always present in trauma. Depending on the intensity of inflammation, the cells of the nervous tissue can either be restored or damaged. Treatment should be aimed at creating conditions for recovery.

Head injury treatment can be conservative or surgical. The latter type of assistance is required in 10-15% of cases for patients who are diagnosed with a brain contusion.

Indications for surgical treatment are:

Hematoma, the inner diameter of which exceeds 4 cm;
Significant displacement (more than 5 mm) of brain structures, with the exception of the hemispheres;
Severe intracranial hypertension, which cannot be eliminated by pharmacological methods.

Conservative treatment includes:

Diuretic drugs to reduce the severity of cerebral edema;
Oxygen therapy (if necessary, tracheal intubation is performed);
Infusion therapy and maintenance of blood pressure at an adequate level;
anticonvulsants;
Antihypoxants that reduce the severity of ischemic changes, increase the resistance of the nervous tissue to oxygen starvation and contribute to its recovery.

Consequences of a bruise

The consequences of a head injury are varied and depend on the severity of this condition. With a mild degree, the symptoms usually quickly regress without leaving a trace. With severe bruises, the likelihood of some complications is high:

Apallic syndrome - a person is conscious, but indifferent to the environment, unable to fix objects and people, reacts only to painful stimuli (a state of waking coma);
Paresis - loss of the ability to move muscles;
brain cysts;
Abscess - the formation of a purulent cavity in the brain;
Persistent intracranial hypertension;
Chronic headache - a condition when the head hurts after a bruise for 6 months or more;
Meningitis is an inflammatory lesion of the meninges;
Secondary epilepsy.

With a severe injury, the risk of death or disability is high.

The success of treatment will depend on the timeliness of seeking help and the massiveness of the lesion.

Head injury according to ICD 10

Parent Topic: HEAD INJURIES (S00-S09)

According to ICD 10, a head injury has different codes. This emphasizes the diversity of clinical forms of this condition.

They may also be:

Traumatic cerebral edema;
Diffuse trauma;
Focal trauma;
Hemorrhage under the dura mater;
Hemorrhage under the arachnoid, etc.

FAQ

Can you feel dizzy after a head injury?

Depending on the severity of the bruise and its massiveness, dizziness can persist for several months. If it is very intense, the doctor may prescribe specific drugs that will help eliminate this unpleasant symptom.

Over time, with a slight bruise, dizziness goes away on its own.

What to do with a head injury?

In this case, immediately after the injury, you must:

apply ice or a towel moistened with cold water to the bruised area;
take a horizontal position and turn your head to one side;
call an ambulance or go to the hospital on your own (when transporting by car, it is recommended to lower the seat as much as possible).

Every child can fall and hit the back of the head. This happens at different ages, be it a month, a year, 2 years old, and under any circumstances, but such a fall often causes shock in any mother. Any head injury can lead to the most serious consequences, but if your child fell and hit the back of the head, the main thing is not to panic, but to provide first aid correctly. Today we will talk about what to do in such situations and what consequences such strikes can cause.

What to Expect

Small children are restless, therefore, only having learned to walk, they begin to attract various injuries to themselves. Usually these are minor abrasions, bruises, cuts, bumps, but the situation can be much more serious. For example, if a child, by an absurd accident, hits the back of his head on some surface: asphalt, floor, corner, etc.

The baby's body is not yet so strong, so children face frequent fractures. Children's brain tissue is also very fragile, and it will not be difficult to damage them. Therefore, a strong blow to this area can lead to traumatic brain injury (TBI). This type of damage happens:

open (with violation of the integrity of bones and tissues);
closed (no visible damage).

In turn, closed TBI is divided into the following types:

bruising of brain tissue;
concussion;
brain compression.

If the child hit the forehead or the back of the head, the bruise will be the easiest injury. The brain itself is not affected. However, if we are talking about concussion, or even more so, compression, then everything is much worse. But how to determine the nature of the damage in the baby? There are several characteristic features of each injury. For example, concussion symptoms may include:

Loss of consciousness.
Vomit.
Increased sweating.
Pale skin color.
Lack of appetite.

If the child fell and hit the back of the head, earning a bruise, you may notice an interruption in breathing and a violation of the heartbeat. With a fracture of the skull and compression of the brain, the appearance of cerebrospinal fluid is noted - a light-colored liquid, and the tissues around the eyes can turn blue.

As a rule, symptoms appear after a while, so be extremely vigilant. It is better not to go far at all in the first few hours. If the child cries for a quarter of an hour and calms down, then most likely everything is fine and you will not need an ambulance. If you still doubt and are afraid that you did not notice the absence of damage, it is better to contact a specialist who will examine your baby and tell you what to do next. It is better to once again be vigilant and examine the child than to deal with the consequences of a fracture.

An arriving specialist can examine the baby and send him to neurosonography. This procedure can be carried out for children up to one and a half years old, who have not yet overgrown the fontanel. The method is absolutely safe and includes a study using an ultrasound machine. Neurosonography reveals an increase in intracranial pressure, which can lead to unpleasant consequences.

We found out the possible troubles and their symptoms that may occur in a child after a fall or blow to the back of the head. Next, let's talk about how to give the baby first aid for certain injuries.

We provide first aid

First aid in such a situation will depend on the nature of the injuries received by the child as a result of the impact. If a bump jumped up on the back of the head, the first thing to do is to apply something cold (best of all - ice). If your house has magnesia, you can use it, experts (including Komarovsky) recommend making lotions with it 2 times a day.

Did the baby bleed? You should definitely have gauze pads at home for this case. In this case, if the bleeding continues for more than a quarter of an hour, call the specialists. It is important not to let the baby sleep in the first hours after the impact. Try to watch him, talk. By his reaction, you can easily determine the presence of brain damage. At night, experts advise waking up the baby and checking the coordination of his movements. If, nevertheless, the fact of injury is recorded, any visual load is contraindicated for a week.

If the baby has lost consciousness or the bleeding does not stop for a long time, you need to urgently call an ambulance. If the child loses consciousness, it is necessary to turn on its side, this will not allow him to swallow his tongue and choke when vomiting occurs. When falling from a height onto the back, injuries of the spine can also be noted, in such cases, changing the position of the baby should be as careful as possible.

There are a number of symptoms in which an ambulance must be called immediately. We present them below:

Bad feeling.
The appearance of dizziness, severe drowsiness.
Twitching of limbs, convulsions, paralysis.
Paleness of the skin.
Vomit, feces, urine with blood impurities.
Pupil dilation without any reaction to external stimuli.

As you know, it is better to prevent any trouble, so pay attention Special attention to prevent such situations. Small children should not be left alone on the changing table, and if you need to leave, it is better to put the child on the floor (of course, not naked). Changing tables are generally very unreliable, a small area often leads to a fall of a baby who has already learned to roll over. Therefore, swaddling is best done on a soft surface.

The energy of kids contributes not only to the knowledge of the world, but also to getting various kinds of injuries. In crumbs with uncoordinated movements, for the most part, the head suffers. In preparation for the arrival of a new family member, it is worth assessing the home environment in terms of the presence of traumatic objects (for example, furniture with sharp corners) and try to remove them.

But even this will not completely protect the young researcher, because he can fall even on a flat floor, learning to walk. In the event that a child hits his head, you should quickly, without panicking, assess the severity of the injury. It depends on the strength and place of the blow whether it will be just a bump or whether it is worth rushing to the hospital.

Indeed, often a forehead blow is accompanied only by a bruise of soft tissues - a lump appears on the head of a child. It is formed in the same way as any bruise, but it will be convex due to the large number of small vessels that burst and fill nearby tissues with blood.

Serious injuries with such a blow are unlikely, since a strong frontal bone reliably protects the head. But you should play it safe and call a pediatrician if a newborn hits his forehead. The younger the victim, the more serious the consequences of a hematoma on the forehead.

However, a strong blow can provoke a traumatic brain injury. The open injury is obvious: there is a wound on the head and obvious damage to the bones. It is treated surgically in combination with the appointment of drugs.

In a closed injury, the skin and bones are intact externally, but there are internal injuries, the signs of which should be known.

Closed craniocerebral injuries vary in severity:

When a brain injury usually occurs loss of consciousness, breathing is disturbed. There may be ear or nose bleeding, dark circles around the eyes, speech problems, facial expression disorders due to damage to the facial nerve. For the treatment of a mild bruise, a course of drugs is prescribed, and only a surgeon can eliminate the consequences of a strong one.
A concussion from a blow is often diagnosed by doctors and is usually treated with medication without further complications. With a concussion, a child may be unconscious for several minutes, and then experience nausea, vomiting, and a headache. If the doctor prescribed medication and prescribed home bed rest, but the patient has consistently restless sleep or other disturbing signs, it would be useful to call a pediatrician at home.
A skull fracture may be suspected by bloody discharge from the ears and nostrils. It is urgent to go to the hospital to do an x-ray. Treatment in this case involves surgery followed by medication.

A blow to the back of the head is no less dangerous

A blow to the back of the head can lead to visual impairment. The occipital lobe of the brain is responsible for the functioning of the organs of vision. Moreover, the consequences may not affect immediately, but after some time. Therefore, even in the absence of complaints from the victim, it would be wiser to quickly show a specialist who knows what to do if the child hits the back of the head.

A rare, but extremely unpleasant complication occurs if the child hits the back of the head on the left side. Sometimes victims have disturbances in the perception of the surrounding space on the left, they begin to forget everything, sleep poorly, and suffer from headaches. Similar phenomena can be observed with damage to the occiput on the right.

A strong blow to the back of the head can cause a head injury in the same way as a blow to the forehead.

What to do when a mother falls

Pity and calm the baby after the fall, and then examine it from all sides, starting with the head, for scratches, bruises, bleeding wounds on the forehead and on the back of the head.
Calm down yourself and assess whether the fall was really serious. If the baby slid off the sofa onto the carpet and bumped, then he cries more from fright and gets off with a bruise. But if he fell out of a high stroller and hit his head on the asphalt, mom should worry.
A grown child is able to talk about what happened. You should ask him if his head hurts or not, if there is clouding in the eyes. Pupils should not be constricted or dilated.
Measure the pulse and compare the data with the age norm (in newborns it reaches 130-140 beats per minute, then it becomes less frequent as they grow older). Deviations from the norm should alert.
Eliminate noisy entertainment and visual stress, but do not let sleep. During sleep, it will be more difficult to diagnose a concussion, if one is present.
It must be borne in mind that if, after hitting, the child does not cry for several minutes, then most likely he lost consciousness.
Treat damaged skin. Small abrasions are disinfected with hydrogen peroxide, after which wound healing ointments are applied. And if the child has stuffed a lump, then cooling compresses are applied to it for 3 minutes to avoid swelling. In case of severe bleeding that could not be stopped in a quarter of an hour, as well as the appearance of the above symptoms, it is worth calling a doctor.
Schedule a visit to the clinic soon. It is necessary to show a child who hit his head to a pediatrician to assess the general condition, to an ophthalmologist to rule out visual disturbances after a blow, and to a neurosurgeon to get a referral for a brain examination.

Warning signs to avoid staying at home

If a child falls and hits his head, the most frightening consequence is brain damage. Moreover, its symptoms may not appear instantly, but after a few hours.

Calling an ambulance should be immediate if the following symptoms appear:

loss of consciousness;
deviation of the pulse rate from the age norm;
bleeding from the ears or nose;
vomiting, diarrhea with traces of blood;
blue or pale skin;
darkened skin under the eyes and behind the ears;
deterioration in coordination of movements, twitching, numbness of the limbs;
change in pupil size, strabismus;
lethargy, drowsiness, change in the mode and nature of sleep, tearfulness;
lack of appetite;
the child has a bump that is too swollen or has a hollow instead of a bump.

While waiting for the arrival of the doctor, you should put the baby to bed, while distracting him and not allowing him to fall asleep. When vomiting, it is better to turn it on its side so that no liquid enters the respiratory tract. Pain medications taken before the doctor arrives can interfere with the assessment of the baby's condition.

If the child fell on his back and hit, then there is a possibility of spinal injury, you need to handle him very carefully to avoid additional displacement of the vertebrae.

What to Expect Upon Admission to the Hospital

The doctor will examine the victim, ask him or his parents to tell about the blow, clarify whether he hit the back of the head or forehead, assess the damage and inform about further actions.

Probably, the baby will be sent for computed tomography of the brain to exclude hemorrhages and fractures.
Patients up to one and a half years old are examined through a fontanel that has not yet been closed.

How to protect your child's head from blows

With a baby, you should always be on the lookout. This applies even to a newborn, who, it would seem, cannot even turn on his side yet. After all, it is the absence of a mother that can encourage a baby to learn coups right on the changing table.

Such tables are convenient for parents, but, from a safety point of view, a large soft surface (a bed or a blanket spread on the floor) is preferable for changing clothes. Let the baby be always supervised or in a safe area - in the arena.

It is unwise to neglect the seat belts in a wheelchair. Although the baby is not yet able to get out of it, nothing can guarantee that the stroller will not turn over when it hits a bump. Straps will keep the little passenger from falling onto the road. It is not in vain that belts are also provided on high chairs, because a fall from such a height onto the floor or tiles can result in injury.

When the baby begins to explore the space at home and often hits, you need to look at the surrounding objects from the height of his height and secure each sharp corner with silicone pads. For children learning to walk, there are special socks and tights with non-slip soles.

Toddlers often stumble and bump when going down stairs, so you need to keep the child's hand in your hand. While climbing the stairs, you must also hold your hand or secure the little one from behind, as there is a danger of falling on your back.

A lot of injuries happen on the playground. It is dangerous to play next to older children, it is better to distract and take your baby away. If you can’t leave, then the mother should be next to the child. You need to be especially vigilant near swings, carousels and other moving structures.

Children who have shown a desire to learn roller skates or a balance bike should immediately be taught that it is imperative to wear a helmet. The young athlete should also be explained how to fall correctly.

Parents should know what to do if the child still hit his head. And you need to patiently explain to your children how important it is not to bump. Babies just need to be protected, and older children should be taught household safety rules.

If a child hits his head, this is far from always a reason for panic and parental worries. Nevertheless, parents should be able to distinguish what kind of "catastrophe" happened - the child has a concussion or (which happens dozens of times more often!) Just a slight bruise. Because each “scenario” has its own special plan of action…

According to statistics: of all people seeking medical help for a traumatic brain injury, 35% are children under 15 years of age.

Concussion in a child: the devil is not so terrible as ...

One of the most terrible and dangerous head injuries in a child, according to most parents, is a concussion. But in fact, as it turns out, everything is exactly the opposite ...

Let us explain in a nutshell what generally happens with a concussion in a child. The head (including a child's head), to put it very simply, consists of a bone (a hard and relatively strong cranium), which protects the soft, vulnerable and "delicate" brain, enclosed inside this very bone. With a strong external blow that falls on the skull, the brain from the inside, in turn, also hits the wall of the skull. At the same time, the brain cells at the site of this impact are not damaged, but for some time they lose their relationship with each other. This leads to loss of consciousness, most often - extremely short-term.

The most obvious and indispensable symptom of a concussion in a child is loss of consciousness. If the baby did not "turn off" - then there is no question of any concussion.

At the same time, parents should be aware that, from a medical point of view, a concussion is one of the mildest and most harmless head injuries. In the vast majority of cases, after a concussion and loss of consciousness, the child comes to his senses and adapts very quickly.

The maximum ailments that can happen in a child after a concussion are a short headache, loss of appetite and drowsiness. However, after 1-2 days, these symptoms disappear without a trace.

The situation is quite different if the child has a brain contusion upon impact.

brain injury in a child

A contusion of the brain is a situation in which, during a blow to the inner wall of the cranium, the brain not only shakes, but also receives some kind of damage. As a rule, at the site of injury occur:

Hemorrhages (hematomas)
Edema

This scenario can already be extremely dangerous for the health of the child, since the damaged brain is located in the closed space of the skull - there is simply nowhere for the blood to go during bleeding, as well as for the growing edema. Usually in these circumstances there is a risk of compression of the brain, which can lead to very disastrous consequences.

If the child hit his head, and the doctors recorded all three symptoms in him - a concussion, a bruise and a compression of the brain, only in this case they have every reason to diagnose a “traumatic brain injury”.

Thus, neither a concussion in a child, nor a bloody abrasion on the head, nor a "bump" or a bruise under the eye - give you the right to panic and believe that your child has "beared" a traumatic brain injury. There are completely different reasons for this, and we will talk about them later ...

The child hit his head: injuries and wounds

What to do if the child hit his head and a bleeding wound appeared:

In this case, you should give him the same help as:

Ice should be applied to a bleeding wound first (crushed ice or a bag of frozen vegetables is best), and a little later, a pressure bandage should be applied;
If the wound on the head is more than 7 mm wide and 2 cm long - the child must be taken to a medical facility - such wounds usually require suturing.

Let's repeat: if a child hit his head, and a “bump” appeared at the site of the bruise, or even a small bleeding wound appeared, but he did not lose consciousness, then no matter how “scary” it looked from the outside, but talking about a serious injury there is no reason for the head. And if the baby does not show any dangerous symptoms (we will list them below), then you do not even have to call a doctor or rush to the hospital with the child.

What to do if the child hit his head and damaged the skull:

Naturally, with a strong blow, not only the child's brain suffers - the skull itself can be damaged.

Depending on whether there is visible damage to the bones of the skull or not, head injuries are conventionally divided into open and closed. In both cases, they require immediate medical examination and qualified assistance.

However, the skull is made up of more than just bones. On the inside of the child's skull there is a special wall (in medical terms - the dura mater), which separates the brain directly from the bones of the skull. If, upon impact, this shell is damaged and torn, then in this case, doctors pass the verdict "penetrating head injury." And this is also certainly the case when the child must be immediately taken to a medical facility.

So, your actions in case of obvious (or suspected) damage to the bones of the skull are to take the child to the hospital. Most often, this picture is accompanied by the corresponding symptoms, signaling that the child’s brain was also seriously damaged during the impact.

These are the symptoms:

And now - panic and run to the doctor!

So, if the child hit his head, and after that you notice the following signs in him, immediately take the baby to the doctor:

Violation of consciousness;
Problems with speech (language is tangled, the child cannot find the right words, etc.);
Inappropriate behavior;
Pronounced drowsiness;
Severe headache that does not improve within an hour of being hit;
Recurring bouts of vomiting (but if vomiting happened after being hit once, this is not an alarming sign);
convulsions;
Severe dizziness that lasts more than 1 hour after the impact;
inability to move arms or legs;
The child has pupils of different sizes;
If there are bruises under both eyes or behind the ears;
Colorless or bloody discharge from the nose or ears (a rather specific, but very serious symptom: the fact is that with a strong blow, the circulation of cerebrospinal fluid can be disturbed, which begins to flow out through the nose or through the ears).

All of the above signs are symptoms of either a bruise or compression of the child's brain. They occur in the vast majority of cases in the first 24 hours after the child hit his head. And each of these symptoms threatens with serious consequences, therefore, if they appear, it is necessary to immediately deliver the child to the doctors, or vice versa.

Remember: if a child hits his head, your first and most important task is to watch him vigilantly in the first day after the blow.

If, for some reason, you do not trust your own judgments, or are simply afraid to "miss" a dangerous symptom and are worried about the possible consequences - do not be afraid to pass for an alarmist and take your child to see a doctor.

How many fingers, mate?

If a child hits his head hard, he may experience disorders associated with the senses and perceptions. It is not difficult to "catch" these violations.

Remember, in every movie about heroes and villains, there is such a scene: a character who is “in the bind” and gets hit on the head, a friend pokes five in the face and asks to count how many fingers looming before his eyes. So this is the most primitive test for the adequacy of perception and feelings.

If your child hit his head, lost consciousness for a while, and then came to his senses - do the same with him: make sure that he sees and hears you, that he feels touched and is able to answer a simple question that he does not experience numbness in extremities, does not feel a surge of abnormal heat or cold.

If the child has sensory disturbances on his face, immediately go with him to the nearest hospital.

What to do if medical assistance is not required

If a child hit his head, but you did not find any dangerous symptoms in him (and therefore there is no reason to contact health workers), this does not mean at all that the baby can be let out again to jump and run around the yard. By no means!

You must do the following:

The baby must be reassured (so that he does not scream, does not cry, is not afraid);
The child should be put to bed and cold applied to the site of impact;
The child must be constantly monitored for 24 hours from the moment he hit his head;
As a rule, after the child hit his head, and after he calmed down, he will fall asleep for a while. Do not interfere - let him sleep. But every 3 hours you have to wake him up and ask some simple question. If the child answers you connectedly and adequately, let him sleep on; and if his consciousness began to "cloud" - this is a reason to immediately go to the doctor.

There are no such preventive measures for your children that would keep them from curiosity, active games and running around, and therefore from falls and injuries. Moreover, few families manage to raise a child who would never fall off the couch or down the stairs. But as parents, you can (and should!) minimize the risk of traumatic brain injury in your children.

This means:

Do not give a child a bicycle (roller skates, skateboard, etc.) without giving a helmet;
Teach your child to stop instantly at your word if you are near the roadway, in a crowd of people or in other similar places;
If your child goes to the pool, make sure their flip flops don't slip on wet floors (a fairly large percentage of kids admitted to hospitals with head injuries come from pools, where kids often slip on wet floors);
Do not leave a small child in a room or in the yard alone without supervision.

Etc. - You can list a lot and for a long time, but for prudent parents, the principle is probably already clear: you cannot protect your children from all the misfortunes that they may encounter when communicating with the outside world, but protect children from injuries that occur due to stupidity or negligence adults - you simply have to.