Developed by

Concussion

By Bjarne Lühr Hansen PhD, MD and Philipp Skafte-Holm MD, Mentor Institute

All strikes to the head are potentially dangerous but does not have to be. If you have hit your head the following two questions are important to ask:

  • Is there a concussion?
  • Is there a haematoma in the head?

Is there a concussion?

A concussion arise when the brain is heavily shook. Concussion appears by brief unconsciousness with a following headache and memory loss. Nausea and vomiting are other signs of concussion. A concussion can be light or heavy and usually require a doctor’s evaluation.

Since age is important for how to handle a concussion, we have chosen to divide Concussion into 2 sections – one fore children and one for adults.

Children

It is particularly difficult to determine how serious the situation is with the smallest children. Information about how violently the child has hit its head often lack or are insecure – often, the child cannot tell about it itself. At the same time, it is known that there is no clear connection between how violent the hit to the head is and how much damage it causes. A fall from the second or third floor does not necessarily cause severe damages while falling from a chair can cause severe damage.

No concussion: If the blow to the head is very weak, the child reacts with brief crying and thereafter acts as normal. This means that the child smiles, drinks and reacts as usual to touch and sounds.

Light concussion: The blow to the head leads to brief unconsciousness and the child often reacts with violent crying and uneasiness. Hereafter, the child becomes quiet, pale, weak, possibly vomits and becomes drowsy.

Severe concussion: The blow to the head leads to prolonged unconsciousness – this means that the child does not scream or cry immediately following the blow. Hereafter, the child becomes quiet, drowsy and vomits.

Adults

With adults it is somewhat easier to evaluate the situation. The information about whether the affected person has been unconsciousness and the following observation is easier because you can talk to an adult.

No concussion: The person is well and does not complain about nausea or headache.

Light concussion: The person has been unconscious for few seconds immediately following the blow to the head. There may be brief memory loss and confusion following the incident. The person complains about headache, nausea and possibly vomits.

Severe concussion: The person has been unconscious for a longer period, just like the memory loss is over a longer period. The person complains about headache, nausea and vomits.

Is there a haematoma in the head?

A blow to the head can cause blood vessels under the cranium to tear and thereby forming a haematoma inside the head of the child. The haematoma is discovered by increasing headache, weakness and trouble with keeping the balance that arise a few hours after the blow to the head. The ill person starts to vomit and becomes drowsy.

A haematoma in the head can arise at any given time during the first 24 hours after the blow to the head. This is why you should be under observation for 24 hours after hitting your head. A haematoma in the head is a life-threatening condition if the doctors do not drill a hole in the head, in time, so that the haematoma can be emptied.

Click here to assess the sick.

What can you do?

You should be under observation for 24 hours after the blow to the head. During the night, the ill person should be awakened every other hour to evaluate whether he or she reacts naturally. If it concerns small children, the parents should look for whether the child opens its eyes, looks at them, smiles, is hungry or similar. For the larger children, the parents should look for whether the child obeys, has its orientation and is interested in his or her surroundings.

Contact the doctor tomorrow

This is never necessary. If you think that a doctor should evaluate the situation or if you feel uncertain, you should call the doctor immediately.

Contact the doctor immediately

Everyone with a concussion. This means everyone who is unclear for more than 5 minutes and complains about headache, has nausea and vomits. Everyone who is suspected of a haematoma in the head. This means everyone who has fully recovered from the blow to the head who begins to complain about headache, nausea, vomiting, becomes drowsy, has trouble keeping the balance or acts differently than usual.