Concussion - signs and treatment at home

The concussion of the brain is one of the easy forms of craniocerebral trauma, as a result of which the vessels of the brain are damaged. All disorders of brain activity are dangerous and require increased attention and treatment.

Concussion occurs only with aggressive mechanical action on the head - for example, this can happen when a person falls and strikes his head on the floor. Physicians still can not give a precise definition of the mechanism of development of symptoms of concussion of the brain, because even when carrying out a computer tomography, doctors do not see any pathological changes in the tissues and the cortex of the organ.

It is important to remember that treatment of concussion is not recommended at home. First of all, it is necessary to apply to a medical institution to a specialist and only after reliable diagnosis damages and their severity, it is possible to use methods of treatment at home in consultation with the doctor.

What it is?

Concussion - damage to the bones of the skull or soft tissue, such as brain tissue, blood vessels, nerves, meninges. An accident can happen to a person, in which he can hit his head against a hard surface, this is exactly what causes a concussion. In this case, there are some disruptions in the brain that do not lead to irreversible consequences.

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As already mentioned, concussion can be obtained by falling, hitting the head or neck, a sharp slowing of the head movement in such situations:

at home;
on production;
in children's collective;
at employment in sports sections;
in road accidents;
in domestic conflicts with assault;
in military conflicts;
with barotrauma;
with injuries with rotation (rotation) of the head.

As a result of brain injury, the brain changes its location for a short time and almost immediately returns to it. In this case, the mechanism of inertia and features of the fixation of brain structures in the cranium come into force, after a sharp movement, some of the nerve processes can stretch, lose contact with other cells.

The pressure varies in different parts of the skull, the blood supply, and hence the supply of nerve cells, may be temporarily impaired. An important fact with concussion is that all changes are reversible. There are no ruptures, hemorrhages, no swelling.

Symptoms

The most characteristic signs of brain concussion are:

confusion, inhibition;
headache, dizziness, ringing in the ears;
incoherent inhibited speech;
nausea or vomiting;
violation of coordination of movements;
diplopia (double vision);
inability to concentrate attention;
light and phobia;
memory loss.

The concussion has three degrees of severity, from the lightest first to the severe third. About what symptoms of brain concussion occur most often, we will consider further.

Light concussion of the brain

In the case of a slight concussion in the adult, there are such symptoms:

severe bruise of the head or neck (impact "detonates" from the cervical vertebrae in the head);
short-term - several seconds - loss of consciousness, often there are concussions and without loss of consciousness;
effect of "sparks from the eyes";
dizziness, worse when turning the head and slopes;
the effect of the "old film" before the eyes.

Symptoms of concussion of the brain

Immediately after the trauma, the sufferer has general cerebral symptoms of concussion:

Nausea and vomiting reflex in the case when it is not known about what happened to a person and he is unconscious.
One of the most important symptoms is a loss of consciousness. The time of loss of consciousness can be prolonged or, conversely, short.
The brain injury is indicated by headache and impaired coordination, and the person is also dizzy.
With a concussion of the brain, pupils of different shapes are possible.
A person wants to sleep or, on the contrary, is hyperactive.
Direct confirmation of a concussion is convulsions.
If the victim has recovered, he may experience unpleasant sensations in bright light or loud sound.
When talking with a person, he may have confusion. Perhaps he does not even remember what happened before the accident.
Sometimes speech may not be connected.

During the first 24 hours after trauma, the following signs of brain concussion may be observed in a person:

nausea;
dizziness;
headache;
sleep disturbance;
violation of orientation in time and space;
pallor of the skin;
sweating;
lack of appetite;
weakness;
inability to concentrate the view;
a feeling of discomfort;
fatigue;
sensation of lack of firmness in the legs;
flushes of blood to the face;
noise in ears.

It must be remembered that not always the patient will show all the symptoms characteristic of concussions of the brain - it all depends on the severity of the damage and the general condition of the human body. This is why an experienced specialist should determine the severity of a brain injury.

What to do with a concussion in the home

Prior to the arrival of physicians first aid to the victim at home should be to immobilize and ensure him complete peace. Under the head, you can put something soft, apply a cold compress or ice to your head.

If the person who received the concussion continues to be unconscious, the so-called saving position is preferable:

on the right side,
head thrown back, face turned to the ground,
the left arm and leg are bent at right angles to the elbow and knee joints (it is necessary to exclude the fractures of the limbs and the spine first).

This position, ensuring free passage of air into the lungs and unimpeded flow of fluid from the mouth outwards, prevents the violation of breathing due to tongue lagging, saliva, blood, vomit in the respiratory tract. If there are bleeding wounds on the head, apply a bandage.

To treat concussion, the affected person is hospitalized without fail. Bed rest for such patients is not less than 12 days. During this time, the patient is prohibited any intellectual and psychoemotional loads (reading, watching TV, listening to music, etc.).

Degrees of gravity

The division of the concussion of the brain by the severity level is relatively arbitrary - the main criterion for this is the time interval that the victim conducts unconscious:

1 degree- slight concussion, in which loss of consciousness lasts up to 5 minutes or absent. The general condition of a person is satisfactory, neurological symptoms (violation of movements, speech, sensory organs) are practically absent.
2 degree- Consciousness may be absent until 15 minutes. The general condition is moderate, there is vomiting, nausea, and neurologic symptoms.
3 degree- expressed in terms of volume or depth of tissue damage, consciousness is absent for more than 15 minutes (sometimes a person does not come in consciousness up to 6 hours from the moment of injury), the general condition is severe with severe impairment of the function of all organs.

It must be remembered that any injured person who has suffered a head injury should be examined by a doctor - even with a minor, at first glance, injury, possibly the development of intracranial hematoma, the symptoms of which will progress after a while ("light interval"), and steadily increase. With a concussion of the brain, almost all the symptoms disappear under the influence of the ongoing treatment - this takes time.

Effects

In case of adequate treatment and patient's compliance with the recommendations of doctors after concussion of the brain, in most cases, complete recovery and recovery of working capacity. However, some patients may experience certain complications.

The most severe consequence of a concussion ispostcommunicable syndrome, which develops after a certain period of time (days, weeks, months) after CCT and tortures a person all life with constant attacks of intense headache, dizziness, nervousness, insomnia.
Irritability, psychoemotional instability, increased excitability, aggression, but quick withdrawal.
Convulsive syndrome, outwardly reminiscent of epilepsy, depriving the right to drive and admission to certain professions.
Expressed vegetative-vascular disorders, manifested by jumps in blood pressure, dizziness and headache, hot flashes, sweating and fast fatigue.
Hypersensitivity to alcoholic beverages.
Depressive states, neuroses, fears and phobias, sleep disturbance.

Timely quality treatment will help to minimize the consequences of brain concussion.

Treatment of concussion of the brain

Like any trauma and brain disease, concussion should be treated under the supervision of a neurologist, traumatologist, surgeon, who monitor any signs and development of the disease. Treatment implies mandatory bed rest - 2-3 weeks for an adult, 3-4 weeks for a child at least.

It often happens that the patient after a concussion of the brain is observed acute sensitivity to bright light, loud sounds. It is necessary to isolate it from this, so as not to aggravate the symptoms.

In the hospital, the patient is mainly to monitor him, where he is given preventive and symptomatic treatment:

Analgesics (baralgin, sedalgin, ketorol).
Soothing agents (tinctures of valerian and motherwort, tranquilizers - relanium, phenazepam, etc.).
With dizziness appointed bellaspond, bellataminal, cinnarizine.
To relieve the overall stress, sulfuric acid magnesia helps well, and diuretics for the prevention of cerebral edema.
It is advisable to use vascular drugs (trental, cavinton), nootropics (nootropil, piracetam) and vitamin B group vitamins.

In addition to symptomatic treatment, therapy is usually prescribed to restore impaired brain functions and prevent complications. The appointment of such therapy is possible not earlier than 5-7 days after the injury.

Patients are recommended nootropic (Nootropil, Pyracetam) and vasotropic (Cavinton, Theonikol) drugs. They have a beneficial effect on cerebral circulation and improve brain activity. Their reception is shown within a few months after discharge from the hospital.

Rehabilitation

The entire period of rehabilitation, which lasts depending on the severity of the conditions from 2 to 5 weeks, the victim must follow all the recommendations of the doctor and strictly observe the bed rest. Also, any physical and mental stresses are categorically prohibited. During the year, a neurologist needs to be monitored to prevent complications.

Remember, after the suffered tremor, even in mild form, there may be various complications in the form of post-traumatic syndrome, and in people who abuse alcohol epilepsy. To avoid these troubles, you should see a doctor throughout the year.