What to do in case of a concussion at home - what medications to use

Traumatic brain injury, what is it?

Concussion is damage to the internal membranes as a result of a blow, external impact, in which the tissue comes into contact with the skull from the inside.

Traumatic brain injuries (TBI) are classified according to severity:

1. Mild – short fainting, headaches, slight nausea. There are no further problems with memory.
2. Medium – loss of orientation in space, lasting up to half an hour. The patient complains of constant nausea and prolonged cephalalgia. There are bruises on the head.
3. Severe – unbearable migraine attacks, vomiting, nausea, fainting. There are disturbances in blood circulation, breathing, and interruptions in the functioning of the heart muscle. The patient may lose memory.

The first stage of the pathological condition is not dangerous for the patient and does not cause any consequences. Therefore, if a mild concussion is diagnosed, it is treated at home. The remaining two stages of the pathological condition require constant medical supervision.

Risk group of people susceptible to concussion

Most often, athletes and heavy physical labor workers turn to doctors with such injuries - it so happens that these are the people who most often suffer from blows and bruises to the head. However, for a concussion to occur, it is absolutely not necessary to hit a person - characteristic symptoms can arise not only from a blow, but also from a bruise, for example, when falling even from one’s own height. Sometimes it can appear after falling on your back, buttocks, sharply hitting your feet on the ground when jumping or falling, or throwing your head back too sharply. However, a concussion can never appear on its own.

Moreover, a slight concussion can manifest itself quite weakly - a person experiences discomfort, but does not understand its cause and does not connect it with a recent injury.

Signs of a traumatic brain injury

The clinical picture of a concussion may vary depending on the age category of the patient. There are no disturbances of consciousness in babies and newborns. The skin becomes very pale, the pulse quickens. After some time, the child becomes lethargic and drowsy. When feeding, babies spit up and vomit. One day after TBI, all signs of the syndrome disappear.

An adult patient with a concussion experiences the following symptoms:

• after an injury, the victim experiences fainting, stunning, lasting about 30 minutes or more;
• disturbance of the thought process, memory, restored after some time. The patient may forget what happened to him before the blow, during it;
• a single attack of vomiting. With the first degree of severity of TBI, it will not be repeated;
• slow or increased heart rate, high blood pressure. After a few hours, the victim comes to his senses without the help of the attending physician;
• intense, heavy breathing, which quickly recovers, so most patients do not pay any attention to this symptom;
• after a TBI, the face turns pale, then turns red;
• pupils enlarge.

The patient does not always show all the signs characteristic of a concussion - it all depends on the general condition of the person and the severity of the injury. Therefore, the doctor should tell you what to do in case of a TBI after a full examination.

Signs of a concussion include the following:

1. Head spasms of various localization and nature.
2. Feeling hot.
3. Dizziness.
4. Increased sweating.
5. Lack of sleep.
6. The presence of extraneous sounds in the ears.
7. Weakness of muscle tissue.
8. Lack of attention.
9. Staggering when walking.
10. Increased sensitivity to noise, light.

The temperature does not change during a concussion. Doctors note that within a week after the injury, the patient’s condition improves. But migraine attacks can continue to bother you for a long time.

Fainting is rare in older people. But disorientation in space is more pronounced. For 7 days there is a pulsation in the head, especially in the occipital region. Hypertensive patients suffer from such disorders much more often.

Symptoms and signs of a concussion

Concussion Tests

Any traumatologist knows methods for diagnosing traumatic brain injury. In each individual case, a concussion has different symptoms, and accordingly, treatment at home will depend on their nature. Before prescribing therapy, the doctor will conduct the following examination:

• X-ray of the skull, cervical spine (to exclude head damage, neck fractures, displacement of intervertebral discs);
• encephalography, which allows you to determine the presence of focal inflammatory elements;
• CT scan to determine pathological changes (prescribed for severe injuries);
• checking the condition of the fundus to determine the absence or presence of hemorrhages and tumors.

After a TBI, regardless of its severity, it is necessary to visit a neurosurgeon and undergo a comprehensive diagnosis. Based on the diagnosis, the doctor will determine how to treat the patient at home using drug therapy and traditional medicine. The drugs used should relieve the symptoms of the pathological condition, eliminate headaches, and restore sleep and the body.

It is necessary to undergo examination

What causes a concussion?

The name of the injury speaks for itself: under the influence of mechanical force, the brain is shaken inside the skull. In this case, a temporary disconnection of the cerebral cortex from the stem (deeper-lying) sections occurs, and disturbances appear in neurons at the cellular and molecular level. A spasm of blood vessels also occurs, followed by their expansion, which means that the blood flow changes for some time. All this causes dysfunction of the brain and the appearance of various nonspecific symptoms. With treatment, after normalization of processes in the brain, all functions return to normal and symptoms disappear.

Self-treatment of head injury

If the symptoms of a concussion are pronounced, it is better for the patient to spend 2-3 days in a hospital under the supervision of doctors. If the severity is mild, after this time, with the consent of the doctor, treatment of the concussion can be continued at home. The main requirement of self-therapy is compliance with all doctor’s instructions.

Treatment at home is carried out according to the following scheme:

1. Maintain bed rest for the first time after TBI (7 days).
2. ventilation of the room in which the patient is located.
3. Elimination of stressful situations, emotional arousal, anxiety.
4. Limiting prolonged contact with friends and relatives.
5. For room privacy, dim lighting should be created (if the victim complains of increased photosensitivity).
6. Maintaining silence.
7. In the first week after injury, exclude phones, TV, and tablets.
8. Refusal of foods that can cause pressure changes or migraine attacks.
9. Treatment with medications prescribed by a neurologist to eliminate unpleasant symptoms and restore gray matter.
10. The use of traditional medicine to alleviate pathological conditions.

Treatment for brain injury at home can only be prescribed by the attending doctor, after an accurate diagnosis has been made.
Treatment for concussion includes the following medications:

• painkillers - to eliminate severe pain;
• sedatives - indicated for increased excitability of the nervous system;
• sleeping pills to ensure healthy sleep;
• nootropic drugs - to restore brain activity, blood vessels, nerve fibers;
• minerals and vitamins – for adequate nutrition of gray cells and the body;
• medications that promote good blood supply;
• antiemetic drugs if the patient is worried about dizziness or nausea.

Medicines and agents used for treatment should be selected taking into account the individual characteristics of the body and only by a neurologist.

The neurologist will take the medicine

Treating concussions at home

After first aid is provided, the victim should be kept at rest until the doctor arrives. Also, the cold will help. Fluid intake should be within reasonable limits, even if you are very thirsty. Fresh air will help a person feel better, and in some cases regain consciousness. To prevent vomiting, you should not eat for the first few hours after injury.

If you plan to treat a patient at home, you should still call an ambulance. Doctors will examine the victim and adequately assess the possibility of home treatment. If hospitalization is required, this will immediately become clear to specialists. It is not always possible to assess the extent of damage by the appearance of the injury, so you should never neglect the help of specialists. To get a complete picture of the disease, you will need to undergo an x-ray.

How to treat correctly

Mild concussions can be treated at home. Complex injuries should be treated in a hospital setting, because it is safer for the patient and will avoid any complications. It is worth providing comfortable conditions for the victim in the home and following simple recommendations for recovery. Home treatment rules:

1. The patient should be provided with bed rest. Especially in the first days, you should adhere to this rule. The victim should get out of bed as little as possible. The speed of recovery and the nature of the damage will influence the duration of treatment, but if there is a visible sign of improvement, when the patient himself says that he is already better, you can increase activity. The average duration of bed rest is a week.
2. Peace for the sick. It is forbidden to sit for days near the TV or computer, especially in the first days after injury. Books are also worth reading in moderation. Each brain center, regardless of whether it has been damaged, must rest. Irritating factors should be avoided. It's worth trying to get more sleep. Adults should be in complete rest for at least three days, children for at least 5 days.
3. If your head hurts a lot at first after an injury, you can use painkillers. But if the pain lasts longer than 4-5 days, you should consult a doctor for an examination. Paracetamol, Ibuprofen and similar drugs will help with pain. It is advisable that the medications be prescribed by a doctor to take into account the characteristics of the victim’s body.

Within 3-5 days, if the injury was uncomplicated, the person’s condition improves. After a week, he fully restores his functionality. If after 7 days of treatment at home the condition has not improved, you should consult a doctor for help to re-evaluate the extent of brain damage. If improvements have occurred, physical activity should be reduced for at least the next 2 weeks after the end of bed rest.

Providing first aid

If you have the first symptoms of a concussion, you should call an ambulance team. Emergency care before doctors arrive often helps save the life of the victim.

Useful tips:

1. Call an ambulance.
2. Clear the oral cavity of vomit (if any).
3. Place the patient on his side to prevent tongue swallowing.
4. Provide fresh air and peace.
5. Stop bleeding by applying a bandage (if necessary).
6. Do not give medication to the victim until the emergency medical team arrives.
7. Do not leave the patient unattended.

If the victim after a TBI is conscious and has no serious impairments, he should not be allowed to fall asleep or move actively until consulting a doctor. This can make diagnosis difficult and hide serious symptoms.

Concussion in children

Children's bones are more fragile than those of adults, and even a simple awkward fall can cause serious head injury.

How to identify a childhood concussion - symptoms

A concussion in a child can occur without any visible symptoms if the child is under one year old. Loss of consciousness is an extremely rare symptom in children. Much more often noticeable is a lack of appetite, painful pallor, nausea, vomiting, regurgitation during feeding, constant crying for no reason, poor sleep or, conversely, excessive sleep. Babies can even get hurt when rocked!

Preschool children, who can speak, may complain of constant headaches and sweating. They lose consciousness more often, their pulse quickens or sharply slows down, their blood pressure rises, and their skin becomes noticeably pale. Poor sleep and tearfulness are possible.

At school age, the symptoms in children are the same as in adults: pallor, dizziness, nausea and vomiting, difficulty concentrating, absent-mindedness of movements.

Note! Post-traumatic blindness is often observed in children; it develops sharply immediately after the injury or after some time. It goes away on its own within a few minutes or hours.

Treating a Child's Concussion at Home

If the condition of an adult with a traumatic brain injury can improve without the intervention of doctors, then the baby should definitely be taken to the hospital and shown to neurosurgeons and neuropathologists. The absence of visible symptoms and long-term well-being after just a few days can be replaced by internal hemorrhage and an unexpected progressive deterioration of the condition.

Drugs

If doctors are confident that the TBI is mild and send the little patient to his parents, then there is no need to insist on a long stay under their supervision. Upon arrival home, the baby is laid horizontally on the bed. Some of his complaints will disappear if he takes certain medications:

• drugs such as Baralgin, Analgin and Sedalgin will help relieve headaches;
• nausea will go away after taking Cerucal;
• nootropil and Piracetam are prescribed by doctors separately and must be taken after such injuries;
• Adaptol and Dormiplant are used for insomnia.

Important! Do not give the patient several medications at a time and do not abuse individual ones.

The doctor may prescribe taking vitamin complexes (A, B, E) and amino acids at home, and attending massage treatments. You should not force children to take all of the above medications; be sure to read the dosage in the instructions or follow the doctor’s prescription.

If after a week the baby’s condition does not change, he also feels sick or vomits, he is also weak and complains of pain, then you should definitely return to the hospital option.

Bed rest for a child

Bed rest for children lasts much longer. He is prohibited from watching cartoons, moving actively, or playing on the computer for at least a week, ideally 12-14 days. After a clear improvement in the condition, you can gradually introduce physical activity, gradually let your baby read books or carefully look at pictures to restore the ability to focus. Do morning exercises with him and play.

While in bed, little patients should drink more clean water and not consume sweets, coffee or tea. Herbal medicine is useful for rehabilitation: aloe vera juice, ginseng root, string, cinquefoil, eleutherococcus and other medicinal herbs. A pharmacist at a pharmacy can recommend separate mixtures of several types of herbs or herbal infusions.

With proper treatment, the little patient will finally recover in three weeks and will be able to safely attend school or kindergarten, play with other children, and watch cartoons. Children rarely feel the effects of trauma after such a long period of time.

Traditional medicine recipes

Treating a concussion at home may include folk remedies. Many recipes can improve brain function and restore cell performance. The most effective of them:

• a decoction of chamomile and medicinal lemon balm. Measure 10 grams of each ingredient, pour a glass of hot water, leave for 10-15 minutes. Take 150 ml 2 times a day;
• thyme decoction. Well crushed raw materials - Art. spoon, pour a glass of hot water, leave for half an hour. Dosage – 3 times/day before meals;
• infusion of field St. John's wort. Place 2 teaspoons of dried herbs in an enamel bowl, add 200 ml of plain water, bring to a boil, filter. Take 3 times/day, ½ cup;
• juice from fresh potatoes. Grind the vegetable tubers and squeeze out the juice. Dosage – ½ glass/day for 10 days after the injury;
• raisins, pistachios, sweet figs. Combine one part each of nuts and raisins, 2 parts of the last ingredient. Grind the resulting mixture well, this is done in a blender. Take ½ cup of prepared, delicious, nutritious dessert every day;

Traditional medicine recipes effectively restore brain function after a concussion. Natural remedies have a cumulative effect, so they can only be used as part of complex therapy and for a long time.

Chamomile and lemon balm decoction. One of the traditional medicine recipes

Treatment methods should only be prescribed by a doctor, taking into account the patient’s well-being and the presence of other concomitant diseases.

Treatment methods

Regardless of where the treatment is carried out: at home or in a hospital, it must be provided in full. An untreated injury can lead to serious health consequences. How long the treatment and recovery period will last depends on the severity and general condition of the patient, as well as the presence of concomitant injuries or diseases. Both mild and severe concussions are equally dangerous to health. Even if the patient has completed the entire course of treatment, he will face long-term rehabilitation, which is carried out at home, but under the constant supervision of the attending physician.

Concussions, like all other disorders, are treated in the hospital with drug therapy, but with a head injury, this is not the only thing that is important.

There are several mandatory recommendations that are followed regardless of the patient’s location.

Daily regime

Whatever the degree of concussion, symptoms and method of treatment at home, the patient is prescribed strict bed rest for at least the first three days. It is better to spend 5–6 days in bed, this applies to both adults and children. Sick leave, if there are no other injuries, is issued for 2 weeks. In addition to bed rest, a person with a head injury should refrain from reading, watching television and minimize socializing. Any activity can negatively affect brain activity and provoke the development of complications, as well as prolong recovery time.

It is important for the patient’s relatives to protect the person from worries and eliminate any psychological stress. The pain that occurs should be suppressed with painkillers and should not be tolerated under any circumstances. Only a doctor should prescribe the medicine: self-medication is dangerous to health.

In addition, you need to limit bright light, and close the windows in the room with curtains. The less strain on the eyes, the faster the headache goes away and the patient’s condition significantly improves. It is extremely difficult to cure a concussion without meeting these conditions.

By taking all the necessary measures, improvements in your health should be expected within 3 to 4 days. If after a week the condition does not change or, on the contrary, worsens, you should immediately consult a specialist.

Treatment with traditional methods

With the help of traditional medicine and the use of medicinal herbs, you can speed up the recovery process after a concussion. Recommendations regarding treatment with alternative medicine should also be given by a specialist.

There are several proven and effective recipes that speed up rehabilitation and make it possible to treat a concussion at home without consequences for the body.

One of the effective infusions is a decoction of medicinal herbs:

• motherwort;
• lemon balm;
• mint;
• mistletoe.

The dried herb is mixed and 1 tablespoon of the mixture is brewed in 0.5 liters of boiling water. The decoction must be infused for at least 12 hours. Take it 100 ml 4 times a day.

An infusion of chamomile flowers, valerian root, hop cones and lemon balm is prepared more quickly. For one glass of boiling water you need 2 tablespoons of a mixture of herbs, and the infusion is kept for only 20 minutes. You need to take it at least 6 times a day.

This collection, folded into a pillow, gives a calming and relaxing effect. It improves sleep and relieves headaches.

Bee pollen is used for quick recovery and rehabilitation after a head injury. It is sold at the pharmacy in capsule form, so you don’t need to prepare anything. This is a fast and affordable method of treating concussion.

Propolis and hawthorn are successfully used in folk medicine to restore brain activity and the function of nerve cells. Tinctures are also sold in pharmacies, and they must be taken after mixing in equal proportions.

The instructions for herbal preparations indicate the dosage, but it is better to discuss it with your doctor before taking it.

The use of medications and traditional medicine recipes generally has no contraindications and does not have side effects. An exception can only be for people predisposed to allergies. For them, taking natural medications is strictly prohibited.

Physiotherapy

In addition to medications and traditional medicine methods, patients are prescribed a number of physiotherapeutic procedures. These include:

• massage;
• relaxation therapy;
• acupuncture.

Massage does not have to be done in a physical therapy room; some massagers are suitable for use at home. After treatment during the rehabilitation process, it is recommended to visit the pool and do therapeutic exercises.

Nutrition and dietary supplements

Both concussion and treatment at home, as well as bed rest, have a negative impact on the digestive system, so it is important to pay attention to your diet. For a speedy recovery, along with various treatment methods, vitamins and dietary supplements are prescribed. In addition, vitamins A and B stimulate brain activity, and vitamin C promotes rapid wound healing and strengthens the immune system.

There are no dietary restrictions as such; food must be balanced and include all foods and drinks, except alcohol, coffee and strong tea.

Rehabilitation after injury

With full, timely treatment and the patient following the recommendations of a neurologist after a concussion, in many cases the body and the functions of gray cells are completely restored.

Throughout the entire rehabilitation period, which depends on the severity of the pathological condition and can range from 2 weeks to a month, the patient must lead a full lifestyle and remain calm. Various psychological and physical activities are strictly prohibited until complete recovery.

After suffering a traumatic brain injury, even in a minor form, complications of various types may arise in the form of post-traumatic pathological syndrome, and in victims who drink large quantities of alcoholic beverages, epilepsy. To prevent the development of such phenomena after a concussion, it is necessary to be observed by a neurologist for a year.