Are there different types of brain injury?

A car accident can cause you to sustain several different kinds of injuries. One of the wounds you might incur is a brain injury. This wound may come in one of several different forms.

Healthline says that you may have a head injury if you receive a blow to your head during a collision. The wound may be either open or closed. An open injury occurs when an object breaks your skull during the collision. If you have a closed wound, then nothing penetrated the skull. Both types can be serious if left untreated.

Types of head injury

A blow to your head can cause damage in different ways. There are several conditions that you may have as a result of a car accident:

• Concussion: You usually receive this type of wound if your brain knocks against your skull during the collision.
• Skull fracture: A particularly forceful impact may sometimes break the bones of your skull.
• Edema: This condition may occur if tissue near your brain starts swelling as a result of the impact.
• Hematoma: Brain injuries sometimes bleed, and if clotting occurs outside the blood vessels, it can result in a hematoma.

While some head injuries, such as concussions, may not have a long-term impact, others can have serious consequences if you do not receive treatment.

Signs of a head injury

You may often think that you do not have a head wound if you do not lose consciousness or start bleeding. However, you may remain conscious when you incur a head wound, and not every wound may bleed. There are several symptoms you should watch for if you hit your head in a collision:

• Lightheadedness
• Nausea
• Headaches
• Balance problems
• Seizures

If you notice any of these symptoms, you should usually seek medical attention.

With the proper medical treatment, most people recover from head injuries.