Can Hitting Your Head Cause Seizures?
The definitive answer is yes. While 1 in 5 is not an overwhelming number, it is significant.
If you’ve recently hit your head in a fall, auto accident, or any other similar event, it’s important to understand the relationship between head trauma, brain injury, and seizures:
A significant blow to the head can damage various parts of the brain that produce abnormal electrical activity as a result, and those currents disrupt your body’s normal functioning. This occurrence is often manifested in different types of seizures.
If left unattended, this damage may persist, causing involuntary convulsions that, in turn, can cause additional injuries.
What Are the Types of Trauma Seizures?
Because different parts of the brain can be adversely affected, TBIs may cause a number of different seizure types, including:
- Post-traumatic epilepsy (PTE)
- Simple and complex partial seizures
- Psychogenic non-epileptic seizures, which are often due to psychological post-traumatic stress
- Generalized seizures, including Grand Mal and Petit Mal, Myoclonic, tonic, and atonic convulsions
It’s important to note that you may not experience the symptoms right away. Although a majority of people develop seizures within a week following the TBI incident, seizures can begin months or years down the line, which makes it difficult to directly identify the head trauma and seizures in a cause-and-effect relationship.
What Are Symptoms Associated With TBI and Seizures?
You may also experience other life-altering seizure symptoms that include:
- Headaches
- Loss of consciousness
- Inability to control muscles and involuntary spasms
- Confusion and disorientation
- Fatigue
- Emotional changes and erratic behavior
- Light sensitivity and sound sensitivity
It’s important to note that post-traumatic seizures can be a sign of a TBI, which can manifest months or even years after the initial blow.
Click for more on other symptoms of TBI.
Can Post-TBI Seizures Be a Sign of More Serious Injuries?
Yes. Seizures after a fall or other accident, immediate or delayed, are usually a sign of deeper damage to your brain tissue and/or skull. Recovery will likely take time.
Here are some of the risk factors as well as variables that may affect your recovery prognosis:
- Skull fractures
- Brain bleeds
- Your personal history or a family history of neurological conditions
- Previous seizures
- Age
- Level of physical activity
Seizures often require extensive medical examinations to identify the root cause of the convulsions. This will help doctors create an appropriate treatment protocol and give you an accurate recovery prognosis.
If this describes your situation, contact us today.
How Are Impact Seizures and Other Symptoms Treated?
The treatment of seizures after a car accident, a serious fall, or other head trauma varies depending on the type of convulsions and the affected part of the brain. Common procedures that help treat post-traumatic seizure symptoms include:
- Medication
- Lifestyle adjustments
- Surgery and other treatments
- Emergency plans, including medical and life insurance
Need Legal Assistance? Contact the Brain Injury Law of Seattle
Although rare, seizures can be life-threatening. They usually require extensive assistance as well as therapy to treat or overcome. Depending on the extent of the damage, a TBI may very well be the root cause of your seizures.
It’s crucial to seek medical attention immediately if you suffer a significant blow to the head.
How Long Can The Symptoms of Seizures and Concussion Last?
Unfortunately, the symptoms of seizures that occur after brain injury can last indefinitely. Whether the seizures start immediately or months or years after the initial blow, they will likely continue indefinitely until the root cause is treated.
But, any form of treatment requires significant time and resources, which can lead to lost wages and inability to work. Therefore, receiving fair compensation for your losses due to injury from the responsible party is critical.
At Brain Injury Law of Seattle, we’ve helped countless victims who suffered post-traumatic seizures and convulsions after a blow to the head. Our lawyers listen to what led to your injuries, find the responsible party, and hold them accountable for your losses.
