Parents try to protect their children from getting all kinds of injuries, but there are times when this still happens. One of the most common injuries is concussion in young children. What is it and what is the treatment for the injury?
Definition
Concussion is a type of closed head injury. In this case, short-term loss of consciousness is possible. Concussion damages the small vessels of the brain, which can lead to headache, dizziness, and other unpleasant symptoms. In most cases, the injury is harmless to the life and health of the child, and the symptoms of concussion in children quickly disappear.
Causes of occurrence
All children are affected by concussion, even infants under one year old. From the moment the child begins to independently attempt to roll over or crawl, he requires increased attention, since a fall from a sofa or bed can lead to concussion. An accident can happen in a matter of seconds, so you can not leave babies without attention, even for a short period of time. The misconception is that children are injured only by irresponsible parents. Unfortunately, even an attentive mother may encounter this.
In older children, other causes of concussion:
- fall during active pastime: running, games, climbing trees;
- hit in the head or fall during a fight;
- high jumps;
- hit with a heavy ball, such as a basketball, during physical education at school;
- heavy objects falling from a height onto a head;
- beatings from classmates, parents;
- injuries associated with practicing different types of martial arts (karate, sambo);
- traffic accidents.
The most dangerous are concussions in newborns in the first few days of life, as they can lead to long-term brain damage.
Severity of injury
Concussion can be of different difficulty levels:
- A mild degree manifests itself after a non-intense impact. With such an injury, the child complains of a headache and dizziness, which pass quite quickly. However, the doctor still needs to show the baby.
- The average degree is expressed in disorientation in space, as well as symptoms that persist for a longer time.
- A severe degree can be complicated by loss of consciousness, amnesia. In this case, poor health persists for several days.
Depending on the severity of the injury, the treatment strategy for concussion is also determined.
Signs of injury
How to find out that the baby has a concussion? First of all, you need to pay attention to such first signs of concussion in a child:
- The skin sharply becomes pale, and after a while its color changes to red.
- Temporary impaired vision or motor function of the eyes. Strabismus may form, one pupil becoming larger than the other. In addition, paralysis of the gaze, involuntary eye movements are noted.
- Single or multiple vomiting.
- An acute headache that is difficult to endure without taking pain medication. At this time, children can not restrain tears, groans.
- Short-term loss of consciousness (fainting). Most often, the duration of this condition varies from a few seconds to several minutes. Longer loss of consciousness is the reason for the hospitalization of the baby.
- Change heart rate. It is not necessary that it will become more frequent, and a slowdown in the frequency of heartbeats can be noted.
- Impaired respiratory function. As a result, breathing becomes uneven, intermittent and superficial.
- Bleeding from the nose, in rare cases from the ears, is a symptom of concussion in severe children.
- Dizziness, which in case of severe concussion is accompanied by loss of coordination (drunken gait).
- Drop in blood pressure.
- Increased drowsiness. The child seeks to put his head on the table or throw it back. Also, children who are already able to speak clearly, according to age, complain of weakness in the body.
- Impaired memory. For example, a child may not remember what happened a while ago. In rare cases, severe amnesia is noted.
Depending on the severity of the injury, the symptoms of concussion in children may vary slightly. Hearing impairment, vision, or speech is sometimes noted.
Symptoms of concussion in children under one year old differ from signs of trauma to older babies. For example, they have observed:
- trouble sleeping
- anxiety and restlessness;
- leg cramps;
- frequent and causeless crying;
- vomiting or intense regurgitation (more frequent than before injury).
Recognizing a concussion in infants can be very difficult, as symptoms may not always be observed. However, in any case, it is necessary to provide the victim with peace and show the pediatrician.
How long does a concussion appear in a child? Symptoms are not always determined immediately after injury, sometimes manifestations can occur within a day after the incident or even later. It is important not to hesitate, but immediately contact a medical institution.
First aid
If you immediately leave the child without proper attention immediately after the injury, then the symptoms may worsen, which will entail negative consequences. What to do with a concussion in a child? It is necessary to provide first aid to the victim:
- If a concussion occurs as a result of a blow to the head, then it is necessary to examine it for signs of scratches or abrasions. They must be treated with hydrogen peroxide or chlorhexidine. It is not recommended to use alcohol-containing solutions for these purposes, especially if the victim is a baby.
- After that, you need to call an ambulance so that the doctors assess the condition of the child. In some cases, hospitalization is indicated.
- It is necessary to lay the child on a horizontal surface and turn his head to the side. It is also recommended to cover it with a warm blanket if a concussion occurs in the cold season.
- In the room where the victim is located, it is necessary to create a calm atmosphere, you can close the curtains on the windows.
- It is important not to let the child fall asleep before the arrival of the medical team, as this may aggravate the symptoms of the concussion.
- Children during this period are prohibited from any activity, even if their health is acceptable.
If loss of consciousness is observed, then the following first aid is required for a concussion in a child:
- it is necessary to help the victim to take a pose lying on his right side;
- legs must be bent at the knees;
- the right hand should be placed under the head, and the left extended along the body.
It is important to monitor the condition of the victim, since vomiting in a child with a concussion can open at any time. Therefore, if his head is not turned to the side, then there is a possibility that the baby will choke with vomit.
If you suspect a concussion in the child, but with mild symptoms, you can take him to the clinic yourself. However, it is important that he is in a lying position, and the trip was comfortable.
Diagnosis of injury
Upon arrival at the hospital or the arrival of a medical team, parents must accurately describe the symptoms that they observed in the baby. It is also necessary to report on their first aid for concussion in a child.
It is important that after the incident the victim is examined by such specialists as a traumatologist and a neurologist. They should check the sensitivity, motor activity, reflexes, measure intracranial pressure, look at the pupils (with a concussion in a child, their size changes). Even if the symptoms are not too pronounced, and the baby feels normal, this does not mean that the injury can pass without a trace.
How is a concussion diagnosed in a child with medical equipment? The following studies are assigned:
- An x-ray is necessary to exclude the possibility of fracture or cracks in the bones of the cranium.
- Neurosonography determines the presence of internal edema, hemorrhage or hematomas in the brain.
- An ultrasound of the head assesses the general condition of the affected organ.
In rare cases, computed or magnetic resonance imaging is used.
Trauma therapy
After receiving the research results, the question arises from parents: "How to treat a concussion in a child?" Therapy can be carried out both at home and in stationary. Moreover, the choice of methods depends on the severity of the injury.
Children of primary school and preschool age must be placed in a hospital, as in this way it is much more convenient to monitor the condition of the child and evaluate the consequences. If concomitant pathologies are not detected, then the length of stay in the clinic is several days. Also, being in the hospital has a positive effect on the health of the child, since noisy active games that are contraindicated in the post-traumatic period are not allowed there.
As part of the treatment, the following medications are prescribed:
- Diuretics ("Furosemide", "Diacarb") to prevent the formation of cerebral edema.
- Medicines containing potassium ("Asparkam", "Panangin").
- Means for calming the nervous system, such as the infusion of Valerian officinalis, Sedasen is a sedative based on medicinal herbs.
- Antiallergic drugs (Diazolin, Suprastin).
- Painkillers to reduce headaches ("Baralgin", "Analgin", "Nurofen").
- If nausea and vomiting are present, Cerucal is prescribed.
With this therapy and the absence of serious damage to the skull and brain, the child is discharged from the hospital on the 7th day of treatment. Then within 2-3 weeks he should be at home under parental control. It is important to minimize active work. It is not recommended to run and play, watch TV, as it strains the nervous system and brain.
Power Features
After they diagnose a concussion in a child and prescribe treatment, you need to take care of the correct daily routine and adequate nutrition of the injured. Since during this period the victim feels tired, weak, his appetite is significantly reduced.
During the treatment and recovery of the body after the injury, it is advised to eat more foods that contain vitamins B, C, magnesium, calcium, lecithin, omega-3 fatty acids:
- meat and offal (liver, heart);
- cereals (buckwheat, oat, wheat);
- legumes (beans, peas, lentils, peanuts);
- dairy products;
- eggs
- any kind of fish;
- fruits vegetables.
It is recommended to exclude fatty dishes and replace them with easier ones to digest. For example, fatty meats and sauces prefer soups on meat broth with vegetables.
What can not be done
Some parents do not attach much importance to the bruises that their children receive, but do not. You should also know that you can not:
- leave the affected child unattended, as important symptoms that indicate a concussion can be missed
- shake a baby who has lost consciousness to bring him to his senses (for this it is better to use ammonia, which must be brought to the victim’s nose);
- to lay the child on his back, as with vomiting there is a chance to choke;
- self-medicate without consulting with specialists;
- make noise near the victim, as this may make his health worse.
If you follow simple rules of behavior when detecting a concussion in a child, then recovery will occur much faster and without complications.
Effects
Most often, after the disappearance of trauma symptoms, the parents do not continue the course of treatment prescribed by the doctor, the child no longer observes the regime of silence for the prescribed time. With incomplete therapy, concussion can occur much later, for example, in adolescence in the form of the following symptoms:
- sleep disturbance;
- regular headaches;
- depending on weather conditions, for example, if it is cloudy on the street, the head may hurt;
- acute reaction to bright light, while the child feels pain in the eyes;
- cramps or even epileptic seizures;
- irritability, tearfulness, causeless aggression;
- frequent feeling of tiredness;
- late mental development.
Unfortunately, these consequences can remain for life, therefore it is very important to undergo a full course of treatment for a concussion.
Prevention
Of course, it is impossible to completely protect the child from any injuries, even with relentless control. However, risk can be minimized by following these guidelines:
- Do not leave babies who have learned to roll over and crawl alone.
- Use a helmet and other protective measures when riding a bicycle, roller skating.
- Isolate sharp corners in a house where there is a child under the age of 3 years.
- Explain to children the danger of personal injury.
- Get a child shoes with non-slip soles.
- Remove all objects from the floor that a small child may trip over.
All children sooner or later fall, hitting with their heads. Therefore, it is important to monitor the subsequent state of the baby and look closely at the symptoms that may appear the field of injury.