• Kids banging heads, perhaps playing sport.

• A child recently ran in to a coffee table and got concussion.

• Falling off things, running into things, tripping over...

> Sit down and take it easy.

> Put a cold compress (e.g. wet sponge) on the bump.

> Try not to worry - or if it's a child, try to reassure and comfort them.

> Five to ten minutes later, you should be feeling a whole lot better. The headache won't have gone yet, but it will settle. You might still feel sick, but everything else should have cleared.

> Now you can take whatever pain relief you'd usually have for the headache (and see http://www.thehighwaytohealth.com/ for a whole chapter on relieving headaches).

> Take it easy for the next three days.

> Keep a watch out for the signs & symptoms below (and have someone else watch out for you too).

> You'll soon be wondering what the fuss was about!

*Compression* is the other type of head injury:

• Just like anything that gets injured, your brain can swell.

• This is bad news - it's trapped inside your skull and has nowhere to swell to.

• So you get a build-up of pressure on your brain, which causes problems.

• It is usually caused by something a bit more severe than a bump on the head

  • more like a bat over the head, or a bigger fall, or a traffic accident.

• This often starts out like concussion, but doesn't get better in a few minutes.

• That feeling of sickness gets worse, and you start to be sick a lot more often.

• The headache just gets worse, even when you've treated it.

• The dizziness or confusion will get worse, and you might pass out for a lot longer. You might have a fit or convulsion.

• Your vision might blur and keep getting worse.

>> You need the hospital - and quickly!

>> Anyone who has these symptoms goes straight to hospital.

>> Even if it started out as concussion, this can take up to 72 hours to develop. (It's commonest within the first four hours.)