Head injury

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Bumps and knocks to the head are quite common, particularly among children. As long as the person is conscious, and there is no deep cut or damage to the head such as broken bone, then there is usually no damage to the brain.

However, with any head injury there is a chance that a blood vessel in the brain could have been damaged. This may cause bleeding in the brain (haemorrhage) and it can take a long time for any noticeable symptoms to develop. Head injuries can cause symptoms hours or days later, so people who have had a head injury need to take special care. If you are worried in any way, get the injury checked by your GP or at A&E, or speak to a nurse advisor by telephoning NHS Direct. Friends and family should also be alerted, to look out for warning signs that their injuries may be serious (see Symptoms).

Severe head injuries usually mean that the brain has been damaged. Despite the protective bone covering of the skull, the brain surface can get torn and bruised as it bumps against the skull, and blood vessels and nerves can rip. Any of these injuries can cause bleeding, swelling or fluid build-up in the head, putting great pressure on the brain and sometimes causing brain damage. Brain damage caused by a head injury is usually referred to as Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI).

Head injuries are either closed or penetrating. A closed head injury is when a blunt object hits the head, but in a penetrating injury the object breaks through the skull and into the brain. Concussion is a type of closed head injury, when the brain is shaken by the blow and the person passes out (loses consciousness) for a short period.

Head injury is one of the most common reasons why people in England have to visit hospital. About one million people will be treated for head injuries in the next year and almost 12,000 of those injuries will be severe, with the person having been unconscious for 6 hours or more. Many people who have had serious head injuries are not well enough to return to work within five years of their accident.