How to reduce swelling after falling on the head

The younger the child, the more difficult it is to take care of him or her. Even so, it is common for children to suffer head injuries from falls in daily life. When a child falls and injures his head, unless the injury is very serious, there will generally be swelling, which we often call a bump. In this case, as long as the swelling is reduced in time, the impact will not be significant. So, how do you reduce the swelling after a bump on the head? Let’s take a closer look below.

The correct way to treat it is: apply cold compress for the first 72 hours and hot compress for the next 72 hours. Any swelling or swelling on any part of the body should be treated with cold compress as soon as possible. As long as the child cooperates, 15 minutes at a time is best. If the child does not cooperate, you can apply it as long as you want and there is no limit to the number of times.

Purpose of cold compress

Cold compress is used to stop bleeding, prevent hematoma from increasing, and reduce subcutaneous bleeding and expansion.

Purpose of hot compress

The purpose of hot compress is to promote blood circulation and fully dissipate blood stasis.

The order of the two must not be reversed, otherwise it will lead to more serious consequences.

The earlier you start cold compress treatment, the better the effect. The fastest time for this naughty kid to have swelling go down was 10 hours. His head hit the ground and the swelling was about the size of his fist. I immediately applied cold compress to him. Fortunately, he cooperated and applied the cold compress for the full fifteen minutes. I then applied it again when I had time. By dinner time, I could hardly feel the swelling. If you don’t cooperate, the application time will not be long enough, but the swelling will basically go away by the next day, and the swelling will not last more than three days.

What should I do if the swelling breaks and bleeds?

First rinse the wound with clean water, press to stop the bleeding and then apply cold compress. When applying cold compress, you should avoid the wound and apply cold compress around the wound. The compress bag should not be directly attached to the skin. There should be isolation materials such as handkerchiefs in between.

Ice packs should be kept in the refrigerator 24 hours a day, with at least two replacements. If there is no ice pack, you can use a plastic bag filled with ice water instead. If there is really no time and the skin is not broken, you can temporarily use a cooling patch instead.

1. A baby under 2 years old falls from a height higher than 1 meter, and a child over 2 years old falls from a height higher than 1.5 meters;

2. Becoming sleepy or listless during normal waking hours, or being unable to wake the child when he or she is sleeping at night;

3. Persistent headaches (even after taking acetaminophen, the baby will cry to express it, and this crying is often difficult to comfort)

4. Confusion of consciousness, impaired limb movement, crooked mouth and eyes, and slurred speech;

5. Blurred vision occurs for a long time, more than 5 minutes;

6. Heavy bleeding that cannot be stopped after pressing for 10-20 minutes;

7. There is a noticeable depression on the skull;

8. Frequent vomiting (more than 2 times) within 72 hours;

9. Suspicious discharge from the nose or ears;

10. Other situations that make you very worried.

1. Avoid moving your child as much as possible. Changing the limb position may cause more serious secondary injuries, unless maintaining the current position will put the child in a more dangerous situation. Also try to avoid bending or twisting the child's neck.

2. Check if the child is breathing. If breathing has stopped, perform CPR on the child (search the keyword "first aid" to view articles related to CPR)

3. If very heavy bleeding occurs, stop the bleeding by applying direct pressure to the wound with a clean cloth or clothing.

4. After dialing 120 emergency number, wait quietly for the ambulance to arrive and do not send the child to the hospital without permission.