How do you identify a skull fracture?

When dealing with injuries to the skull, it is important to get quick medical treatment. Part of this process involves knowing how serious the injury is and what sort of injury you may need to be treated, as this can change how emergency responders will treat the situation.

To that end, it is important to identify the telling features of a skull fracture.

Who can identify them?

Merck Manual discusses ways you can identify a skull fracture. First, note that when suffering from a skull fracture or accompanying brain injury, you likely will not have the mental wherewithal to self-identify it. Thus, these tips work best for those who can identify the signs in others. Before you set out on a trip, it helps all passengers to have some awareness of injury identification and to know how to contact medical sources for aid.

Skull fractures often share similar symptoms to traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), likely due to the fact that the two often go hand in hand. You are likely to suffer from a brain injury if the force of the concussive blow held enough strength to fracture a bone.

Red flags of a potential fracture

Neurological symptoms often manifest in problems like partial or full paralysis of some or all limbs, piercing headaches or migraines, and muddle-headedness or confusion. You may struggle to identify your surroundings or the people with you. You might forget the events leading up to the incident causing the skull fracture.

Quick treatment is necessary in these cases due to the risk of brain swelling. If left untreated, this can cause the brain to press against the skull, resulting in the loss of blood and oxygen. This causes cell death and can lead to permanent brain damage, which has life-altering consequences.

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