Head Injury Prevention in Children and Adults

Preventing Injury to the Skull and Brain Requires More than Helmets

Jul 23, 2009 Mary King

A head injury can change a life forever. Babies and the elderly are susceptible to head trauma, but preventive measures can guard against injuries to the head at any age.

Head injuries are medical emergencies and may include trauma to the scalp, skull, and/or brain. Open head injuries are characterized by a break in the skull caused by an outside force or object, but the brain is not always injured in such cases. Closed head injuries are caused by a blow to the head, but the skull remains unbroken. Closed head injuries are of particular concern because damage caused by the brain bleeding and swelling inside the skull may not be apparent for hours or even days after the incident.

A head injury should be assessed only by a qualified physician. Symptoms of head injury should never be ignored, and waiting to see if a victim's condition improves is not an option. An injury to the head left untreated can cause irreversible brain damage or death.

Who is at Risk for a Head Injury?

Most everyone has experienced an injury to the head to some degree. Toddlers frequently fall, bumping heads on furniture, doors, and the floor. Children are notorious for bumping heads during rough play. Teens and young adults often don't wear protective head gear while roughhousing or playing sports in the back yard. Too many kids and adults don't wear helmets when riding bikes, mopeds, or motorcycles. People living in dangerous surroundings are at risk for assault that often results in head injury. Elderly persons who fall easily are at risk for sustaining trauma to the head. Persons disabled that have mobility and/or balance problems are at risk for falls that can result in head injury.

Babies are also at risk for traumatic injury to the head. Shaken Baby Syndrome can result in a closed head injury and permanent brain damage. Tragically, many infant victims die from being shaken, dropped, or thrown.

How Can Head Injuries be Prevented?

It is relatively easy to prevent injury to the head. Wearing protective head gear while bike riding is only the beginning. What else can a person do to prevent a head injury?

Wear a helmet. The rule applies not only to children riding bicycles, but to adult riders, as well. Include motorcycle riders, horseback riders, ATV riders, and extreme sports enthusiasts. Don't forget amateur and home construction workers, contact sports players, and kids who ride skateboards and scooters. Include any other situation where a helmet can protect against head trauma. Remember, age does not matter where head injury is concerned.
Wear seat belts and properly restrain children in motor vehicles. The Web site, Roadtrip America features the article, "70 Rules of Defensive Driving" (1996). Author Robert Schaller states, "It is not necessary to bang your head against something in order to sustain a brain injury – the whipping movement possible in a collision (whiplash, for example) can cause injury by twisting or stretching the thousands of nerve fibers and soft tissues in the brain, and also result in ruptures of the veins and arteries within it." Schaller also encourages the proper use of head restraints in motor vehicles.
Use caution when crossing a busy street. It may sound silly, but a lot of kids and adults are sustaining injuries while trying to cross the street because of distractions from cell phone conversations, text messaging, and listening to music on Ipods.
Keep firearms and bullets stored in a locked cabinet. Tragically, too many youth and adults are killed in home firearm accidents that could have been prevented. A gunshot wound to the head does not always result in death, but permanent brain injury is almost always a certainty.
Educate senior citizens on hazards that cause falling. Whether in the home or outside the home, seniors need to be aware of potential risks that can cause falls. Because humans tend to fall head-first when they stumble or trip, the likelihood of a head injury is high.
Get help for an elderly person that has mobility problems. Physical therapy can sometimes help an older person improve walking gait. Exercise can enhance agility and improve balance, as well. Mobility aids can help prevent falls among seniors.
Use shock-absorbing material on home playgrounds. And make sure public playgrounds are suitably designed to prevent injury.
Keep playground equipment in good working condition. Proper maintenance can prevent injury.
Take action against abusive and/or neglectful behavior. Babies and young children are defenseless against abusive adults and so are many elderly persons. It takes courage to step in and report a problem, but taking action could very well save a life.

Protection against a head injury takes little effort and can prevent permanent brain damage or death. Minor head injuries may require no medical treatment, but only a physician can determine the severity of an injury. Head trauma resulting in serious brain damage can result in months of rehabilitation and there is no guarantee of complete recovery.

Safety measures for preventing head injury – such as wearing a helmet – may not always be considered the "cool" thing to do among kids and reckless adults. Wearing a helmet may not be considered by some to be cosmetically appealing. Many people naively think an accident can't happen to them. Unfortunately, too many people don't use their heads wisely, and discover too late that a head injury can last a lifetime.

The copyright of the article Head Injury Prevention in Children and Adults in General Medicine is owned by Mary King. Permission to republish Head Injury Prevention in Children and Adults in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

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