You get involved in a car accident. Another driver runs a red light, so you never see them coming. Fortunately, it’s just a glancing blow rather than a full T-bone accident. However, you still hit your head on the driver-side window at the moment of impact.
After the crash, you do have a slight headache. You’ve played sports before, so you assume that you just have a concussion. You know that the symptoms should clear up in time, often in around a week. But is that actually what you’re dealing with, or do you have a more significant injury, like a subdural hematoma?
Are the symptoms getting worse?
In some senses, the symptoms of a subdural hematoma can be similar to a concussion. It can lead to headaches, and it can also lead to issues like mental confusion, fatigue, and much more. It’s natural for people to confuse the two.
But a subdural hematoma is different because it means there’s a broken blood vessel in the tissue – known as dura mater – that surrounds the brain. Because of this bleeding, pressure is building up on the neurons, which can cause the symptoms to get worse.
This is one of the reasons why it’s important to monitor your own symptoms to see how they progress. If they’re getting better, you may just have a concussion that will heal on its own. But if they’re getting worse, you may have a subdural hematoma that requires emergency medical treatment.
This type of medical care can be very expensive, but you may be able to seek financial compensation from the driver who caused the crash. Be sure you know what legal steps to take.