What is a head injury?
A head injury is any sort of injury to your brain, skull, or scalp. This can range from a mild bump or bruise to a traumatic brain injury. Common head injuries include concussions, skull fractures, and scalp wounds. The consequences and treatments vary greatly, depending on what caused your head injury and how severe it is.
Head injuries may be either closed or open. A closed head injury is any injury that doesn’t break your skull. An open (penetrating) head injury is one in which something breaks your scalp and skull and enters your brain.
It can be hard to assess how serious a head injury is just by looking. Some minor head injuries bleed a lot, while some major injuries don’t bleed at all. It’s important to treat all head injuries seriously and get them assessed by a doctor.
Head injury causes
In general, head injuries can be divided into two categories based on what causes them. They can either be head injuries due to blows to the head or head injuries due to shaking.
Head injuries caused by shaking are most common in infants and children, but they can occur any time you experience violent shaking.
Head injuries caused by a blow to the head are usually associated with:
- Motor vehicle accidents
- Bicycle accidents
- Motorcycle accidents
- Pedestrian accidents
- Falls
- Physical assaults
- Sports accidents
In most cases, your skull will protect your brain from serious harm. However, injuries severe enough to cause head injury can also be associated with injuries to the spine.
RecoverWell’s Head Injury Lawyers have specific experience in dealing with all forms of head injury. Phone 1 (844) 512-4098 or use the contact form on this page to book a FREE consultation now.
For information on specific types of head injuries see the list below.
Disclaimer: The information displayed anywhere on this website is NOT a substitute for professional medical advice.
In this section
Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI’s) in Calgary & Edmonton
What is a Traumatic Brain Injury? A brain injury is often called an “invisible” injury. A person who suffers a brain injury may appear “normal” to outside observers, while the effect of a brain injury can have a catastrophic effect on that person’s life. Even so-called “mild” traumatic brain… View
Concussions
A concussion is a mild traumatic brain injury (TBI). It can occur after an impact to your head or after a whiplash injury that causes your head and brain to shake quickly back and forth. A concussion results in an altered mental state that may include becoming unconscious. Anyone can become… View
Skull Fracture
Unlike most bones in your body, your skull doesn’t have bone marrow. This makes the skull very strong and difficult to break. A broken skull is unable to absorb the impact of a blow, making it more likely that there’ll also be damage to your brain. A skull fracture is any break in the cranial… View