What Causes Sore Bump On Head After Head Injury?

Posted on Tue, 24 Nov 2015

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Tue, 24 Nov 2015 Answered on

Mon, 14 Dec 2015 Last reviewed on

Question : My 83 year old mother fell today and hit her head on concrete walk. A sore bump has come up black in color. She did not loose conscious but has not felt good. Have been putting ice on for 10 minutes then heat for 10 minutes. Bump has gone down. Is it alright for her go to bed and sleep?

Answered by Dr. Vivek Chail (41 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
She can go to sleep, please watch out for alarming symptoms over 24 hours

Detailed Answer:
Hi XXXX,
Thanks for writing in to us.

I have read through your query in detail.
Please find my observations below.

Sorry to hear about the fall your mother had. Hope the pain is bearable and she is not having any other symptoms except the ones mentioned by you

Head injuries need to be observed for the first 24 hours. The following are alarming symptoms (within first 24 hours) of a head injury that needs a doctors attention.

1. Vomiting
2. Seizures
3. Persisting neurological deficits
4. Difficulty in maintaining gait
5. Vision problems
6. Increasing severity of headache
7. Abnormal behavior

Should any of the above symptoms occur within 24 hours then you need to see a doctor immediately and get a CT scan brain done.

If necessary a CT scan of the head may be done after clinical evaluation to evaluate any injury inside the head if her discomfort persists even after a day.

The bump mentioned by you is probably from soft tissue scalp swelling with small bleed under the skin and not a problem since it has decreased in size.

She can go to bed and sleep but please watch out for the above mentioned symptoms until tomorrow.

Hope your query is answered.
Do write back if you have any doubts.

Regards,

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar