Head Injuries: Symptoms Requiring Immediate ER Visit

A head injury is any blow or jolt to the scalp, skull, or brain. Some are mild, others need urgent assessment to prevent lasting harm. If you’re unsure, monitor symptoms and seek professional guidance. Access head injury emergency care in Houston quickly when red flags appear, so clinicians can evaluate, image if needed, and protect brain health after any impact.

What Counts As a Head Injury?

A head injury includes events such as a fall, sports collision, car crash, or being struck by an object. Even without a visible cut or bruise, the brain can move within the skull and become injured. Mild injuries may resolve with rest, while severe injuries can cause bleeding, swelling, or loss of consciousness, requiring immediate treatment.

Symptoms And Causes At-A-Glance

• Symptoms: persistent headache, vomiting, confusion, memory gaps, slurred speech, weakness on one side, seizures, unequal pupils, worsening drowsiness.
• Common Causes: fall-related trauma, sports impacts, assaults, motor-vehicle collisions, or high-energy accidents at work or home.

Which Symptoms Mean You Should Go to the ER Now?

Seek emergency care immediately for any of the following signs of serious head injury:

• Loss of consciousness, even briefly
• Repeated vomiting or rapidly worsening headacheConfusion, agitation, or behavior changes
• Slurred speech, difficulty walking, or weakness/numbness in limbs
• Seizure, unequal pupils, or clear fluid/blood from the nose or ears
• Neck pain, severe scalp wound, or a depressed skull fracture
• Use of blood thinners, or age over 65, with any head impact

These overlap with concussion symptoms, which can include headache, dizziness, sensitivity to light or noise, and short-term memory issues. If symptoms intensify instead of improving, go to the ER.

What Causes These Symptoms After a Head Impact?

Symptoms arise when the brain is irritated, stretched, or bruised by rapid movement inside the skull. Small blood vessels can tear, leading to bleeding (hematoma) and pressure. Microscopic injury can disrupt how brain cells transmit signals, explaining problems with attention, balance, or memory. Severe impacts can produce traumatic brain injury symptoms that progress over hours, another reason to monitor closely.

How Are Head Injuries Evaluated and Treated?

In the ER, clinicians assess airway, breathing, and circulation first. They check mental status, pupils, strength, and neck tenderness. Imaging (CT scan) may be ordered based on decision rules that weigh age, symptoms, and mechanism. Treatment ranges from observation and symptom control to medications that reduce swelling. Rarely, surgery is needed to relieve pressure from a bleed.

Recovery Basics

Most mild concussions improve within two to four weeks with guided rest and graded return to activity. Avoid alcohol and high-risk sports until cleared. Use acetaminophen as advised; avoid non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs early if a bleed is suspected. Persistent problems, headache, mood changes, and sleep issues benefit from follow-up and, when needed, neurorehabilitation.

Safety Note

If you’re hours from care, it’s reasonable to rest but have someone wake you periodically to reassess. Worsening symptoms or difficulty arousing the person demand urgent evaluation at a 24/7 ER in Houston.

What Will It Cost, Generally?

Costs vary by injury severity, imaging needs, and observation time. Typical ranges include:

• Urgent evaluation only: office or urgent-care visit costs less, but is not appropriate for red-flag symptoms.
• ER visit with evaluation: higher facility fees; imaging adds cost.
• Hospital admission/surgery: most expensive, often billed separately by hospital and specialists. Insurance coverage, deductibles, and network status affect out-of-pocket expenses. Ask for an itemized estimate when feasible.

What About Children and Older Adults?

Pediatric head injuries require special attention. Babies and toddlers can’t describe symptoms well, so watch for inconsolable crying, poor feeding, scalp swelling, vomiting, or unusual sleepiness. In school-aged kids, any loss of consciousness, severe headache, or behavior change warrants an ER visit. Adults over 65 have more fragile blood vessels and a higher bleed risk; they should seek care even for minor falls, especially if on anticoagulants.