Can Getting Dropped On Your Head As A Child Cause Traumatic Brain Injury? Essential First Aid Tips That You Need To Know

Traumatic brain injury is a common health concern that can arise when children often fall or are accidentally dropped. The result is sudden trauma that can cause a brain injury by an outside force, and the seriousness of experiencing it can depend on the brain's vulnerability, the skull's thickness, and its ability to protect the brain during the time of trauma. According to a research article published in PLOS Medicine, traumatic brain injury is a major cause of death among children, and knowing the risks involved with it, the symptoms, and the right first aid guidance can help the child experiencing traumatic brain injury get the medical help they need.

While children tend to roll over the bed or have accidental falls that don't seem to affect their brains, a proper assessment by a medical professional is needed to perform a safety check. And if the child falls from a great height, then the height and force of the impact can affect the severity of the injury to the brain. This is why parents or guardians need to be careful of the kind of fall their children might have had.

What Is Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)?

Traumatic brain injury can affect children greatly, as their brain is still developing, and a sudden blunt force trauma can lead to significant impacts on their physical, mental, and emotional development. The exact problem arises in brain function due to a disruption in normal brain function, and how it can occur can affect its output. There is extensive explanation of what TBI is and what symptoms parents need to watch out for as highlighted in the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke journal. 

TBI can occur in two ways:

• Primary or immediate, which means that the TBI can cause direct damage to the brain upon impact.
• Secondary or gradual, which means it can impact children after they have suffered a trauma to their head due to the slow progression of the inflicted damage.

When it comes to the types of traumatic brain injury, they can occur in the following manner:

• Penetrating TBI, which happens when an object or the sheer physical impact causes direct and visible damage to the brain.
• Non-penetrating TBI happens when the brain suffers from damage due to a strong external force that is strong enough to move the brain inside the skull.
• Some individuals can suffer from a combination of both types of TBI, and they need immediate medical attention to repair the damage, and time is of the essence when it comes to injury to the brain.

The force of impact, be it direct impact on a hard concrete surface or from a foreign object being hurled at the head from a distance. Children who have existential neural deficits need to be extra careful of a possible traumatic brain injury,impact, as even shaking and falls from a short height can have significant side effects on their brain.

Also Read: AIIMS Jammu Performs Complex Neurosurgery On Teen With Rare Skull Tumour

Can Dropping A Child Cause A Traumatic Brain Injury?

The significant health risks with possible permanent or temporary damage to the brain depend on height, surface, and force of impact. Not all falls from beds or accidental falls cause TBI, but the child needs to be examined by a medical professional to rule out any possible signs of damage to the brain.

Different types of surfaces can have different types of impacts when a child's head hits them, and childcare protocols say that you need to provide constant supervision to avoid serious brain injuries.

The exact age of the child can impact the severity of the brain injury, as research published in the Journal of Safety Research suggests that children between the ages of 0 and 4 years tend to suffer from traumatic brain injury due to falls.

According to research published in the Archives of Disease in Childhood, when it comes to children who are below the age of six years, they can suffer from intracranial injury or even a skull fracture if the force of the impact is severe.

Symptoms To Watch Out For

When it comes to the symptoms or signs that you need to watch out for when it comes to a possible traumatic brain injury, you need to know the following signs to take immediate action:

• When a traumatic brain injury occurs, there can be immediate loss of consciousness, vomiting, or seizures.
• Subtle signs of it include developing irritability, drowsiness, confusion, and imbalance.
• When any of these signs are visible, parents or guardians need to act quickly and seek a medical evaluation from a paediatrician. This is an important step that is needed to stop the progression of damage happening internally that may not be visible externally.
• Long-term risks involve having developmental delays and learning difficulties, which can cause significant impact on quality of life.

First Aid Tips For A Child's Head Injury

When an injury occurs, especially a potential injury to the brain, certain first aid steps are needed to prevent the child from further harming themselves. Here are the tips that you should know:

• Keep the child calm and still to prevent them from accidentally worsening their current condition.
• Apply a cold compress to reduce swelling, as an injury to the brain leads to visible swelling.
• Monitor breathing and responsiveness by checking the eyes' response to light and finger follow-through to assess whether the brain is functioning after the injury.
• Seek emergency care if severe symptoms appear, as time is of the essence.

Be it primary, mild, or severe symptoms, as the brain controls the entire body, parents or guardians need to be careful of the effect that a trauma may have on their child's brain.

Also Read: World Head Injury Awareness Day: From Impact To ICU, What The First Hour Of Head Injury Care Looks Like

Prevention Strategies To Avoid A Traumatic Brain Injury

• You need to be able to keep certain strategies in place to avoid a traumatic brain injury and safeguard the developing brain.
• Make sure that the children play in safe environments to avoid any object from causing an injury to the brain.
• Use of helmets for cycling or during sports activities to make sure the head is secured from the physical force impacts to the brain.
• Constant supervision is needed for children who are infants and up to 6 years of age, as research suggests that the brains can be impacted by possible trauma, leading to serious developmental deficits.

Childhood head injuries can be serious and require careful monitoring, so being careful should be second nature. Parents or guardians need to be the ones to actively ensure that their children are safe, and being aware if an accidental fall occurs could be the difference between lifelong brain issues and complete recovery. This being said, the physical impact of certain brain injuries can't be reversed, so taking preventive measures is imperative.

Disclaimer: This content, including advice, provides generic information only. It is in no way a substitute for a qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your own doctor for more information. NDTV does not claim responsibility for this information.