Movies show action heroes taking severe blows to the head without their performance being impaired. The prevalence of injury-related lawsuits may even make doctors suspicious of patients who complain of nagging pain. Doctors at UT Southwestern Medical Center say parents may not even be aware their children have had an injury causing brain trauma. A child may have fallen off a bicycle, for example, without the parent realizing that the injury was severe. If someone who's been hit in the head seems disoriented or confused after the injury, even if they didn't lose consciousness, there's a possibility of brain injury and a doctor should be consulted.
Loss of consciousness is a sign of a possibly severe injury.
Patients with a brain injury also may have unevenly dilated pupils and loss of memory of the time frame surrounding the accident. Other Topics Health Watch is intended to provide general information only and should not replace the advice of a medical professional. You should contact your physician if you have questions about any of these topics.