Falls are the Leading Cause of Head Injuries Among Younger Kids

According to a recent study, head trauma accounts for 80% of traumatic injuries that cause death in youth over the age of one. Falls from any distance and falls while standing or moving add up to 38% of all head trauma. Under the age of 12, falls were most common. Older children suffered more trauma from sports-related activities and car accidents.

The study included a sampling of over 43,000 children and indicates a need to help children exercise caution when playing and engaging in physical activity. Suffering trauma at a young age can lead to serious injury that has lasting effects, as well as surmounting medical expenses.

Your child may exhibit the following signs of a head trauma.

• A cut or contusion on the scalp
• Hemorrhaging
• Hematomas
• Concussive symptoms such as memory loss, confusion, and drowsiness

After an initial, physical examination, your child may need to undergo blood tests, CT scans, MRIs, or ultrasounds to determine the damage caused by the injury.

To reduce the risk of injury, take the following precautions with your children.

• Always require that a seatbelt be worn in your vehicle.
• Open windows from the top around small children to avoid the risk of them falling out.
• Teach children to wear a helmet when engaging in activities like bike riding and skating.
• Use safety gates to prevent children from falling down stairs.
• Teach a young child to go down stairways backwards to reduce the chance of a fall.
• Closely monitor children playing outside. While climbing trees is fun, it can also lead to serious injury.
• Follow safety precautions if your children use a trampoline. Consider installing it at ground level. Only let only children who exhibit caution play on trampolines under careful supervision.
• Check playground equipment before letting your child play.
• Use booster seats and car seats that are appropriate for your child’s measurements. A poorly fitted seat can cause injury in the event of an accident.
• Encourage the use of helmets while sledding, skiing, horseback riding, and operating or riding on ATVs and other recreational vehicles.
• Use a railing for children’s beds. Falling out of bed at night and hitting the corner of a nightstand is dangerous and quite painful.
• Never allow your children to jump on beds.

Severe head trauma can affect your child for the rest of his or her life or cause death. Exercise caution in the car, recreationally, and at home to best protect your children from injury