University of São Paulo: A simple bump on the head can be cause for concern

A blow to the head usually occurs by an accident. Who has never, through carelessness, ended up hitting their head on a glass door, on a corner of a closet, when they got into the car or in a fall – known as a fall from their own height? These types of trauma are the most common and may require a medical evaluation.

Professor Ricardo Santos de Oliveira, neurosurgeon, assistant physician at the Division of Neurosurgery at the Hospital das Clínicas of the Faculty of Medicine of Ribeirão Preto, USP, explains that the famous “bump”, or swelling in the head, indicates that there has been bleeding below the skin; internal bleeding – in the skull – is not ruled out, depending on the force of that impact.

The injury can be much stronger than a simple blow, the so-called brain concussion, like that which occurs in a car crash. Head trauma is the best known and medical attention should be sought as soon as possible when presenting characteristic symptoms.

It is practically impossible to predict the consequences that a blow to the head can cause, but Professor Ricardo Santos de Oliveira explains that men are the main victims of head trauma, in any age group, that is, from babies to the elderly. What changes are the ways in which these falls occur. In the most severe cases, fainting, convulsions – loss of consciousness associated with involuntary movements -, bleeding, dilation of a pupil and lack of response to stimuli can occur.

It is not uncommon to witness a head strike, whether in sports with a lot of strength and speed, such as football, rugby and basketball. The consequences of this kind of impact come in the long term, just like in boxing and the UFC.