Skateboarding is a physical activity that requires concentration and skill. The nature of skateboarding can lead to falls, which in turn can lead to head injuries. Knowing how to avoid these falls will help prevent a serious injury from occurring, and this is especially true in the case of head injuries.
Head injuries are life-threatening and may require immediate medical attention. The body’s ability to heal is hindered by the presence of fluid in its tissues, and if untreated on time can lead to permanent disability or death.Skaters should know how to recognize when someone has had a head injury and what actions they must take.
Types of Head Injuries
Brain injury is a result of the bump, blow, jolt, or shaking of the brain against the skull. These injuries can be mild to severe and may include:
- Concussion– a temporary loss of brain function that occurs after a head injury. Symptoms include headache and nausea.A person with a concussion should be left alone and they might require medical attention.
- Contusion – an area of bleeding in the brain. Victims may feel confused and disoriented, headache, vomiting, and nausea. The victim should see a doctor immediately.
- • Diffuse Axonal Injury (DAI) – caused by shaking or violent twisting of the head that can cause shearing tears in the brain. The damage is often to the delicate nerve fibers in the brain rather than by direct impact. Symptoms include headache, confusion, lack of attention to one’s surroundings, lethargy, and coma.
• Penetrating head injury – results from an object penetrating through the skull into the brain under it. Symptoms are usually severe trauma at the site of the penetration, coma, seizures, and often death.
External Head Injury
Knowing how to recognize when someone has had a head injury is important in preventing it from getting worse. Signs of external head injury include:
- Blood or clear fluid like water draining from the ear or nose;
- Deformity or swelling on the skull;
- Loss of consciousness or being dazed or confused after a fall, bump or blow to the head;
- Pain in the skull at the site of impact.
Internal Head Injury
Internal head injury may not have any external signs because there are no bones over the brain to reveal them. Signs include:
- Black-out, dizziness, or confusion after a fall, bump, or blow to the head.
- Blood at the side of the mouth;
- Change in speech, voice, or level of consciousness;
- Headaches that do not go away after a bump or blow to the head has occurred;
- Nausea and vomiting.
Special Note
It is important for skateboarders who have had a head injury to seek medical attention immediately – even if they feel okay. This is because many head injuries, such as concussions and diffuse axonal injury which often go undetected in the early stages may worsen with time and become more serious or fatal.
Skateboarders who have had a serious head injury should be watched carefully for 24 hours to monitor for any changes in their condition.
It is also important to protect yourself from head injuries when skateboarding by staying away from dangerous areas, wearing the proper safety equipment, and knowing how to fall properly without hurting your head or neck. Protective equipment includes helmets, mouth guards, and knee pads for some protection at higher speeds while skating on rough terrain.
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Understand Your Head Injury
It is important to understand what type of head injury you may have. A doctor will be able to tell you the type of head injury and the severity it has by doing a physical examination as well as some tests such as blood work and imaging studies (CT scan, MRI). Some of these tests might not be needed if your doctor knows that you are skateboarding and the way you hit your head. If there is any problem with understanding your injury or if your symptoms get worse then visit an emergency room immediately.
A mild concussion means that you may have lost consciousness for a short period of time after the injury occurred but will recover within minutes or hours. Symptoms can be headache, confusion, nausea, vomiting, or dizziness.
A moderate concussion is where you have not lost consciousness but are confused for hours after the injury has occurred. Symptoms are similar to mild concussions but last longer.
A severe concussion means that you may have had a seizure after your accident and there is no way of knowing how long it lasted. A person with a severe concussion may be confused or lethargic after the injury for hours or even days. You might also have a headache that gets worse, cannot control your bladder or bowel movement, are dazed and forgetful of events around you.
A subdural hematomais bleeding between the brain and the dura, which is a membrane covering the brain. These Injuries are a common occurrence in older people. People who have undergone neurosurgery are also more likely to get these kinds of injuries because their dura has been cut through to access the inside of the skull.
Symptoms include nausea, vomiting, confusion, slurred speech, and loss of consciousness. A subdural hematoma may also cause seizures or paralysis on one side of the body. Surgery is often needed to treat these types of concussions.
Alarming Point
A hematoma is a type of brain swelling that occurs when there is too much blood in the skull. It can be caused by an injury to the head, which has fractures it and causes bleeding between your brain’s tissue (the dura).
Symptoms include nausea, vomiting, loss of consciousness or seizures, paralysis on one side of the body, dilated pupils in one or both eyes, weakness or numbness in the arms or legs, and having a severe headache.
Skateboarding Safety Tips
If you suspect that someone has had a head injury then keep them calm and prevent them from falling asleep. If they do fall asleep make sure someone stays with them and wakes them up every 2 hours to prevent a secondary injury.It is important to know the risks of taking prescription medication without consulting your doctor first.
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