As medical practice shows, childhood concussion is observed in combination with spinal cord injury.
Increased injuries of children are caused by their high physical activity, restlessness, curiosity. At the same time, motor skills and coordination are not sufficiently developed, the feeling of fear of heights and danger is reduced. The head of young children has a relatively large weight, and the skill of insurance with their own hands is not developed. That is why the fall of young children occurs upside down, while they do not substitute hands.
The causes of mild traumatic brain injuries have their own specific features in their age group.
Head injuries in infancy are mainly a consequence of the carelessness and carelessness of parents. It should be noted that in children up to a year in more than 90% head injuries occur due to falling from beds, changing tables, strollers, hands of parents. Signs of concussion in a child up to a year are manifested in the form of repeated or single vomiting, regurgitation during feeding, pallor of the skin. Loss of consciousness is rare. Signs of a concussion in a child can also be manifested by causeless anxiety, crying, increased drowsiness or poor sleep, lack of appetite.
The main reason for injuries in children older than one year is a fall from their height, and later - a fall from trees, stairs, windows, roofs, slides and other things. Signs of concussion in a child at this age are manifested by loss of consciousness, vomiting, nausea. In this case, the symptoms are often accompanied by tearfulness, moodiness, sleep disturbance.
In some cases, signs of a concussion in a child may occur with post-traumatic blindness, different diameters of the left and right eyes, inability to recognize relatives or objects.
It is not always possible to identify an episode of injuries. It should be noted that if the child was observed by relatives, neighbors or the nanny, they may not inform the parents of the fact of the baby’s injury.
Brain injury can occur without direct head trauma. Such a case is a consequence of the impact on the child of a sharp braking or acceleration. The occurrence of the “shaken baby” syndrome is detected at the age of four to five years and is the result of rough treatment, jumping from a height. In young children, this syndrome can occur due to increased intensity of motion sickness.
The first signs of concussion in children are manifested by swelling in the area of the stroke, bleeding from it or leakage of clear fluid from the nose or ears, convulsions.
This type of injury, being the most common, does not involve gross and irreversible changes, and can lead to complications in rare cases.
Concussion in children. Treatment.
In case of a head injury, the baby immediately needs first aid. A tight dressing should be applied to the damaged area. In the event of a deep wound and ongoing bleeding, it is necessary to take the child to a trauma center or call an ambulance.
In cases of a shallow wound and stopping bleeding, a cold compress should be applied to the injury site. After removing it, the affected area must be treated with an antiseptic, attach a napkin soaked with antibacterial ointment to it and bandage it with a bandage.
After injury, the child should be in bed for 12-24 hours. It is necessary to ensure that the baby does not fall asleep within an hour after the injury. After this time, he can be allowed to sleep, but he should be woken up every two hours to check his condition.
The fact of injury must be reported to your doctor. In order to avoid consequences, the child must be taken for inspection. A specialist may prescribe medication or hospitalization. It should be noted that medical examination does not always entail hospitalization. However, in many cases, especially with trauma at an early age, hospitalization is necessary.