Did you know that you can suffer a brain injury without losing consciousness? You can even incur brain injuries without hitting your head. Due to the nature of the injury, you may not realize that you were hurt. Immediate medical attention, and the right care, can improve the long-term outcome of brain injury and help you avoid some of the problems caused by so-called “mild” brain injuries. That is why it is so important that you get checked out immediately after an accident, even if you don’t feel like you were hurt.
Brain Injuries Need Immediate Attention
After the initial event, brain injuries can continue to progress for 72 hours. What may not seem like a big deal at first can become fatal. And for those who survive, the further damage can mean life-long disabilities that could have been avoided if they had been treated sooner.
If there is bleeding inside of the brain, pressure continues to build and that causes more and more damage. Relieving the pressure sooner, rather than later, means less damage to your brain.
Seizures and Other Complications
Seizures are not uncommon after a brain injury. The first seizure may not happen until several days or weeks after the injury. When someone has a seizure, he or she often has no memory of it, so if no one was around to observe it the victim might not even realize that it happened. This, in itself, is dangerous. Seizures can easily lead to another accident. If you don’t know you are at risk, you can’t take precautions to avoid it.
Rest for Concussions
If you have suffered a concussion, rest is crucial to healing. Concussions can have life-long consequences. You can minimize the consequences by allowing your brain to heal. You need physical and cognitive rest for that to happen. That means no TV, smart phone, or video games for the first few days. After that, you should not try to jump back in at your normal activity level. Gradually work up to it, and if you experience symptoms with activities such as reading or watching TV, you need to back off.
Learn more by reading about cognitive rest for concussions.
