How to Care for Your Child with a Head Injury or Concussion
This leaflet will provide you with information about head injury and concussion causes, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, and home care advice.
![head](/sites/default/files/inline-images/Head_injury_and_concussion.jpg)
Head injury in children is common. Most head injuries are not serious
Head injuries are classified as:
- Mild – this can be managed at home
- Moderate and Severe injuries- your child needs to see a doctor
What are the common couses of head injury?
Head injuries are commonly caused by:
- falls
- motor vehicle accidents
- a sports-related injury
- physical abuse
What is a concussion?
A concussion is a term of a mild form of traumatic brain injury and is common in children during sports activities.
What are the symptoms of head injury or concussion?
- Scalp swelling: this is common because the scalp has many small blood vessels that can bleed.
- Loss of consciousness: usually just for a brief period of less than one minute
- Headache: This may be in the form of irritability (bad temper) or other discomforts in children who are too young to speak.
- Vomiting: Children who vomit after a head injury do not necessarily have a serious brain injury unless vomiting is repeated
- Seizure: Not all children who have a seizure will have a serious head injury
Common symptoms of a concussion include:
- Headache
- Mild confusion
- Nausea (feeling sick) or vomiting
- Dizziness
- Fatigue and tiredness
- Inability to concentrate
- sudden changes in behavior
- bothered by bright light or loud noises
- Disturbance of sleep pattern
- Amnesia (temporary memory loss, not being able to remember events around the time of the injury)
How is a head injury or concussion diagnosed?
- The doctor will ask a few questions about your child's health and examine your child to determine the seriousness of the injury.
- The doctor will advise you if further investigations are required
- Most children with concussion do not need x-rays, CT-scan or MRI
- Even with a normal brain CT or MRI, your child can still have a concussion
How is a head injury or concussion treated?
- Your child's doctor will decide the suitable treatment based on the clinical assessment, the seriousness of the injury and the outcome of the observation period.
- Most of the time, a period of watching the child for 4-6 hours is all that is needed. If your child develops any symptoms of concerns during this period, then the doctor will decide about further testing and imaging.
- Children are at very low risk of having serious brain injury if they remain well more than 12 hours after the head injury.
Home care advice
Most children with a minor head injury can be safely watched at home; here are a few things that you can do at home to help your child
- A mild headache, dizziness, and nausea are common, especially during the first 48 hours after the injury.
- Make sure your child is cared for by a responsible adult for at least 48 hours.
Pain relief medicine:
- Your child may have a headache or soreness around the injured area. You can give your child:
- Paracetamol (any brand) or Ibuprofen (any brand)
- Follow the instruction on the medicine package for the correct dose for your child
- Do not give your child Aspirin as this can cause serious complications
Feeding:
- If the child is nauseous or has vomited once, try offering clear liquids such as soft drinks, clear juice
Rest
- Encourage your child to lie down or choose a quiet activity.
- Your child can sleep. It is not dangerous to sleep after a minor head injury. Sleep is an important part of the brain’s recovery from a concussion and will help your child to feel better.
- It is not usually necessary to wake your child from sleep after a minor head injury.
- If your doctor recommends waking the child, he or she should be able to wake up and recognize his/ her surroundings and parent/caretaker
- Avoid television, mobile phones, tablets, or computer games until your child is symptoms free.
Bleeding
If there is a skin wound:
- Apply pressure to the bleeding area with a clean cloth do not put coffee or any other household material in the wound
- Bleeding should stop within 10 minutes.
Swelling
- Swelling (a large lump or "goose egg") is also common after a head injury this is because the scalp is rich with blood supply.
- To reduce the swelling, you can apply ice or a cold pack to the area for 20 minutes.
- The swelling may take up to one week to completely disappear
Return to play
- A serious brain injury may occur if your child has a second head injury within a short time after the first injury.
- Please confirm with your doctor if your child can return to active play or sports.
- If your child had concussion, do not allow your child to return to exercise until their symptoms have been reevaluated by a healthcare professional
When to go to the Emergency Department?
You should go to the emergency department if your child:
- Fell from a height taller than 1 to 1.5 meters
- Is younger than six months old
- Becomes more and more drowsy and/or difficult to wake up
- Vomits more than twice or continue to vomit four to six hours after the injury
- Has a seizure
- Passes out
- Has a really bad headache that is getting worse over time
- Has trouble walking, talking, or seeing
- Seems confused
- Acts in a way that worries you
- Has dizziness that does not go away or comes back repeatedly
- Has blood or watery fluid coming out of the nose or ears
- Has a cut that keeps bleeding after you put pressure on it for 10 minutes
- Is weak or numb in any body part
- Is very cranky and irritable or can't stop crying(younger children)
- Has a wound that needs attention