In light of the tragic news about Natasha Richardson’s head injury, I thought this would be a good time to review some basic head injury first aid. 

There are two kinds of head injuries:  external and internal.  External is usually a scalp injury, and if your kid has ever cut his head, you know how these things can bleed.  They sometimes require stitches, but even with all the blood, these aren’t anything to be too worried about.  Internal is when something happens to the brain, inside the skull.

If someone takes a hard knock to the head–gets tackled, crashes their bike, etc–they need to stay down until they receive medical attention.  Professional football players know this; they are trained to just lay on the field until the medics can stabilize them and get them off. 

But sometimes you don’t know how serious a head injury is.  That’s what happened to Richardson; she fell during a skiing lesson, but felt just fine… until about an hour later.  Head injury symptoms can take days to appear.

If your child has had a hard head-hit, here are some things to know.

• Symptoms of a concussion are headaches, nausea, and not being able to remember what happened in the time around the accident. 
• These are the emergency, get-help-now signs (that means call an ambulance or get to the ER!):  drowsiness, confusion, throwing up more than once, strange eye movements or uneven pupils, seizures or flailing, weakness on one side, or balance problems.

Not all head injuries are concussions, though, so here are some other syptoms to look for that might suggest your child needs immediate medical attention:

• They can’t move one arm or leg
• They have trouble with any of the senses (can’t hear, blurred vision, can’t smell right, things don’t taste right)
• Severe headache
• Clear or bloody fluid draining from the mouth, nose, or ears
• Repeated vomiting
• Stiff neck
• Their face doesn’t look right
• Low or shallow breathing
• Irritability or acting strangely

Now, here’s a list of DO NOTs from MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia that were news to me, so I figured I’d better share.

• Do not wash a head wound that is deep or bleeding a lot
• Do not remove any object sticking out of a wound
• Do not move the person unless absolutely necessary
• Do not shake the person if he or she seems dazed
• Do not remove a helmet if you suspect an injury
• Do not pick up a child with any sign of head injury
• Do not drink alcohol within 48 hours of a serious head injury

We wish Ms. Richardson and her family all the best for healing and strength.  Our prayers are with you.

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