Emergency Urgent Care: When to Go to an ER: Concussion
If our bodies were a computer system, our brain would be the CPU, controlling everything, and given its importance, it is why it is so well protected by the skull. However, despite this, it is still liable to getting injured, which is what happens when one suffers a traumatic brain injury. There are different types of traumatic brain injuries, with concussions being one of them. Concussions, given how serious we know them to be, are actually the least serious of traumatic brain injuries as discussed over at the excellent frontlineer.com. A concussion occurs when you either suddenly receive a blow to the head or you suffer violent shaking of the same. This means that you can suffer a concussion not only from a blow to the head, but also from a whiplash injury. Concussions are especially common in contact sports such as football, soccer, hockey among others, where there is an increased threat of suffering a blow to the head. Given that concussions can be mild, moderate or severe, they don’t always require emergency urgent care at an ER, although you still need to be assessed by a medical professional. It is therefore important to know which signs and symptoms as far as concussions go indicate that one should go to an ER, something this article will look to help with.
One of the signs that definitely indicate that one needs to go to an ER to receive emergency urgent care for concussion is if they suffer a loss of consciousness following the head injury leading to the concussion. A loss of consciousness after a head injury is a sure fire sign of severe or grade 3 concussion and as such should always be taken seriously. Even if the loss of consciousness is momentary and one regains consciousness soon after, they should still be taken to an ER such as the highly rated frontlineer.com to be assessed. It is normal to experience a headache after having suffered a head injury and consequent concussion. Headaches are usually as a result of fluid or blood collecting in small pockets inside the skull and are usually not something to worry about in most cases of concussion, especially in cases of mild concussion. However, if the headache is severe, then you should head over to an ER for emergency urgent care as soon as you can. The same should apply if your headache is persistent and is getting worse with each passing moment. If you are also experiencing a headache accompanied by other symptoms such as nausea and vomiting, weakness in the arms and legs among others, then you should also go to an ER as soon as you can to be assessed and attended to.
Another sign that one needs to go to an ER for a concussion is if they develop speech difficulties and are unable to speak. In such a situation, one should head over to an ER as soon as they can to be assessed and attended to. As per the subject matter experts over at frontlineer.com, in such a situation, over and above the troubles speaking, one may also develop difficulties understanding language as well as reading, and this should also be taken seriously by taking them to an ER for emergency urgent care. Other than problems talking, if one also experiences problems walking, then they should also go to an ER as soon as possible to be attended to for concussion. This includes situations where one is unable to stand and is having problems with balance or is totally unable to walk without stumbling or falling. If one begins to experience changes in vision such as double or blurry vision or even a complete loss of vision, then they should also head over to an ER as soon as they can for emergency urgent care.
It is also important to keep an eye on one’s mental status after a head injury or accident leading to concussion. If their mental status is deteriorating, then they should be taken to an ER, such as the excellent frontlineer.com, to be assessed and attended to. Signs to look out for as far as a deteriorating mental status is concerned include if one appears to be extremely confused or disoriented in the aftermath of the accident or injury. If one also suffers memory loss after the accident or injury leading up to the concussion, then they should also head over to an ER to be attended to. Here, one may not be able to remember what happened just before the accident and in the immediate aftermath of the same. The age of the person with concussion should also come into consideration, especially when dealing with children under the age of 2. If you notice any swelling or abnormality on the scalp of such children, or you also notice a change in their behavior after a knock to the head, then you should have them taken to an ER as soon as you can. One should also head over to an ER if they develop seizures and convulsions after having suffered a concussion. It is also worth noting that if you experience any of the above symptoms within 24 hours of the head injury, even if you initially felt okay at the time of the injury, then you should also head over to an ER for emergency urgent care.
The above are some of the signs and symptoms to go to an ER for a concussion, with more on this and other related topics as well as the best emergency urgent care services to be found over at the highly rated frontlineer.com
