It is common for children to suffer falls and blows, but those who worry most are blows to the head.
Fortunately the most common is that head blows only cause small bruises, some cut and pain in the area of the blow, which can be relieved with an ice pack or bandage and many kisses. Or occasionally, the fall may also cause a wound that needs stitches.
But in some cases, a blow to the head can cause something more serious, such as a concussion or cause more serious damage. This is why it is important to be attentive to the child's behavior after a blow to the head.
How to treat head injuries in a child?
At first glance, minor head injuries may seem worse than they actually are, so it is important to remain calm.
Most falls involve only the injury to the scalp. The scalp is an area that is very vascularized (has very good blood supply) bleeds abundantly if a cut occurs and becomes easily inflamed by the rupture of the blood vessels below the skin. These swellings and bleeding are usually limited to a lesion on the scalp and rarely indicate that there has been any injury to the brain.
If the child is bleeding:
Put a clean cloth or bandage on the wound and press the area directly for several minutes.
Remember that cuts on the head and face bleed much more than anywhere else, because they are areas where there are more blood vessels. That much blood does not necessarily mean that the cut is serious.
If the bleeding has not stopped in 10 minutes, you should go see a doctor.
If a bump or small bulge appears on the head:
Apply cold in the area.
You can use an ice pack or a bag of frozen vegetables.
The main concern after a blow to the head is the possibility that there has been some damage to the brain, which can occur as a brain hemorrhage and / or concussion.
A brain hemorrhage occurs when there is a rupture of the blood vessels in the space between the skull and the brain, or even in the blood vessels of the brain, the bleeding that occurs can increase the pressure and compress the brain.
The brain is able to move a small distance inside the skull. When a child suffers a blow to the head, the brain can first strike one side of the skull, then the other. This can sometimes damage the blood vessels and cause bleeding of the brain. Concussion can lead from a headache to loss of consciousness.
When to seek medical help?
If your child has any of the following symptoms, call or see your doctor as soon as possible:
The blow to the head has occurred from a great height.
The child is pale or bluish.
The child is stunned or confused.
The child loses consciousness.
The child is ill or vomits after the blow.
If there are changes in breathing.
Clear fluid flows out of the nose and / or ears.
Can you let him fall asleep after a fall?
It is normal that after a fall or a blow to the head young children are sleepy, especially if they have cried a lot or is near when they go to bed.
If the child seems to be okay after the blow to the head, nothing is going to stop him sleeping.
Let the child sleep, but wake him up every two hours, and if he is unusually drowsy, that is to say, if after two hours of sleep he can not wake up or is stunned when he wakes up, it would be advisable to have a doctor examine him.
