Head injury Dr Rob Hicks Bruising may be present in minor injuries.

In this article

What is head injury? Symptoms

Causes and risk factors Treatment and recovery

Head injury causes damage to the scalp, skull or brain. It can be a minor condition or severe and even life-threatening.

Minor head injuries may cause headache, bruising, swelling and cuts, which may bleed profusely, even if small.

But what is usually more worrying than any obvious trauma to the outside of the head (although this can in some instances cause very serious problems) is the possibility of damage to the delicate structures inside the head – to the brain and related tissues. With any head injury there is a risk of permanent damage to the brain, especially if the injury is not treated quickly.

The following symptoms may occur soon after the head injury, or appear more slowly hours or days later, and are a sign that there may be an injury to the brain which needs urgent investigation :

• headache with nausea and vomiting
• blurred or double vision
• slurred speech
• confusion or drowsiness
• loss of consciousness
• blood or clear fluid from the ears or nose

These sort of symptoms must always be taken seriously and given proper medical attention.

Head injuries can also cause skull fractures, which may not be apparent unless an x-ray is taken which is why it is usually important to x-ray the skull after anything more than a mild injury (and especially when there are any of the above symptoms).

Road traffic accidents are the single largest cause of head injuries. Other common causes include falls, assaults and sports injuries.

Being aware of potential dangers and wearing protective headgear when on bicycles or motorbikes and when playing contact sports can reduce the risk of head injury.

Although most head injuries are minor, around 1 million people each year in the UK need emergency medical care as a result of head injury. Around one in four of these needs to be admitted to hospital.

Treatment of a head injury depends on its type and severity. It may involve:

• observation at home or in hospital
• first aid treatment, for example stitching of wounds
• medication such as painkillers, corticosteroids and antibiotics
• urgent hospital treatment including surgery, for example to decompress the brain, remove blood clots, repair damaged tissues or stop bleeding.

If brain damage has occurred, there may be long term disruption of a person’s ability to look after themselves and physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy and emotional and other types of support may be needed, for months and sometimes years.

Advice and support

Headway - The Brain Injury Association
Helpline: 0808 800 2244
Website: www.headway.org.uk

Brain Injury Rehabilitation Trust
Telephone: 01924 896 100
Website: www.birt.co.uk

Brain & Spine Foundation
Helpline: 0808 808 1000
Website: www.brainandspine.org.uk

Child Brain Injury Trust
Helpline: 0845 601 4939
Website: www.cbituk.org

This article was last medically reviewed by Dr Trisha Macnair in February 2009.