When you hit your head, you need to assess how serious your head injury is. Getting to the hospital is important when you have suffered an injury to your head. When you hit your head, you can suffer concussions, scalp wounds, and skull fractures that can cause significant injury to your brain. Here are a few things that you need to watch out for if you, or someone you know has hit their head.

Watch for Symptoms

You need to get medical attention right away if you suspect that there has been a serious head injury. A few of the symptoms you need to watch for are:

• Sleepiness
• Behaving abnormally
• Severe headache or stiff neck
• Unequal pupil sizes
• Unable to move arm or leg
• Loses consciousness
• Vomiting
• Administer Aid

If you cannot immediately get to the hospital when you have hit your head, then you need to call 911 and then begin administering aid until medical personnel arrive. Try to remain still and stop any bleeding by pressing a cloth firmly on the wound. If blood keeps soaking the cloth, don’t remove it. Place another cloth on top of the other one. Apply ice packs to swollen areas and wait for help.

A List of Don’ts

There are some things you definitely should not do if you have hit your head. These include:

• Don’t wash your head wound.
• Don’t move unless absolutely necessary.
• Don’t remove a helmet if you have one on.
• Don’t drink alcohol or take painkillers afterwards.

Severe symptoms don’t always show up right away. If you have hit your head and you begin to feel the symptoms listed above, get to a hospital right away. Quick treatment can impact long term treatment options and prognosis.

If you have suffered a traumatic brain injury, join the TriMunity community today. We can provide you with information, support, and valuable resources.