Menstuff® has compiled the following information on head
injuries without helmets.
Helmet and Head Injuries
Only Dumb Parents
Don't Wear Helmets
The Effect Of Laws
Mandating Bicycle Helmet Use
The scalp is rich with blood vessels, so even a minor cut to the scalp can bleed profusely. The "goose egg" or swelling that may appear on the scalp after a head blow results from the scalp's veins leaking fluid or blood into (and under) the scalp. It may take days or weeks to disappear. Any visible or suspected head injury requires immediate professional neurosurgical intervention. At times, the damage may not be apparent and tends to be ignored. This should not be so. If the person has lost consciousness, even momentarily, or there is the remotest possibility that the brain may have suffered even the minutest of damage, he should be immediately shifted to a medical facility.
The brain is cushioned by cerebrospinal fluid, but a severe blow to the head may knock the brain into the side of the skull or tear the blood vessels. Any internal head injury - fractured skull, torn blood vessels, or damage to the brain itself - can be serious and may even be life-threatening. If the person shows any of the following symptoms: unconsciousness; abnormal breathing; obvious wound or fracture; bleeding from the nose, ear, or mouth; disturbance of speech or vision; pupils of unequal size; weakness or paralysis; dizziness; neck pain or stiffness; seizure; vomiting; loss of bladder or bowel control, things are in bad shape. Until help arrives, do not move the person unless absolutely necessary.
If the person is unconscious or dazed, or there is any paralysis, do not move him at all - there may be injury to the spine. Place your hands on either side of his head, and keep him in the position in which you found him. If he vomits, roll him to the side keeping his head and neck immobile. If he is not breathing, administer mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. If the person is conscious, do your best to keep him calm and still. If he vomits, sit him up slightly and help him lean forward, unless you suspect a neck injury; in that case, keep head and neck immobile and roll him to the side.
So, all said and done, the best policy is to use a helmet when you are driving or riding a two-wheeler. Play safe because you only live once.
Editor's Note: And, if you have kids and they see you setting an
example of weraing a helmet, maybe they'll mimick you and play it
safe while doing risky things. And, if you're too macho to wear a
helmet, visit a children's emergency ward sometime or a long-term
care unit for children who have suffered brain damage because they
didn't wear a helmet. Maybe that will change your mind. I hope, for
yours kids sake, it does. Otherwise, get a big insurance policy in
their name. At least you would be doing something right.
Source: www.chennaionline.com/health/homearticles/helmet.asp
Only Dumb Parents
Don't Wear Helmets
Bonehead facts: You have 22 bones in your skull. Don't be a bonehead. Wear a helmet when riding a bicycle or motorcycle - you too, dad!
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