In the first few days after a mild head injury, your child will need to get plenty of rest and sleep. Your child may be able to return to school after a few weeks, but it will depend on the severity of his injury and the length of time it has taken to heal.
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How do I know if my child is OK after hitting his head?
Inconsolable crying or fussiness, vomiting more than once, balancing difficulties when sitting or walking, and being unresponsive are all changes to watch for. You should take your child to the emergency room if he or she is showing any of these symptoms, or has swelling over the site of the injury.
Is sleeping good after hitting head?
Sleeping cannot cause serious problems after a concussion. When you are asleep, your family or your doctors are not likely to notice signs of brain damage until it is too late.
What should I do if my child hits his head on the hard floor?
Swelling and pain can be treated with an ice pack, an age-appropriate dose of acetaminophen and rest. Don’t worry if your child develops a goose egg, it’s nothing to worry about.
How do doctors check for concussion?
The standard test for assessing the brain after injury is a cranial computerized tomography (ct) scan. Cross-sectional images of your skull can be obtained by using a series of X-rays. The images are then combined to create a 3-D image of the skull, which is then compared to a computer-generated image.
CT scans can be used to determine the extent of damage to your brain, as well as the size and shape of areas that have been damaged. They can also help determine whether you have a brain tumor or other brain disorders, such as Alzheimer’s disease or traumatic brain injury (TBI).
What happens if a concussion goes untreated?
It can lead to long-term problems. Post-concussion syndrome, which is headaches, dizziness, mood swings, and brain fog, can last for months or even years after the injury, and is one of the potential consequences of a concussion. Symptoms of concussion can vary from person to person, depending on the severity of the concussion and the type of brain injury that occurred. Concussions can be mild, moderate, or severe.
Mild concussion symptoms include headache, fatigue, confusion, disorientation, loss of balance, slurred speech, blurred vision, numbness or tingling in one or both arms or legs, nausea, vomiting, difficulty speaking or swallowing. Moderate to severe concussive symptoms can include memory loss, depression, anxiety, irritability, aggression, impulsivity, restlessness, trouble concentrating or remembering things, impaired judgment or decision-making. Severe symptoms may include coma, convulsions, seizures, coma and death.
How long should a baby stay awake after falling off the bed?
Keep a close watch for the next 24 hours Babies are likely to want to go to sleep after a fall, whether they have a concussion or not. It’s not necessary to keep them awake to watch them, but you should wake them up every few hours to make sure they don’t fall asleep on their own.
If your baby doesn’t seem to be getting enough sleep, you may need to take them to the pediatrician for a check-up. If your child has a history of sleep apnea, it’s a good idea to see a doctor as soon as possible.
What will the hospital do for a concussion?
Depending on the severity of the injury and symptoms, initial treatment for a concussion usually includes rest from both physical and mental activities. The person is watching TV.
“If you’re not able to do those things, it’s going to take a long time for you to get back to your normal level of functioning,” said Dr. Robert Cantu, a professor of neurosurgery at the University of California, San Francisco, and a co-author of a study published in the Journal of Neurotrauma.
