Any type of fracture can be very serious as it can also affect your internal organs. The most common type of fracture in humans is usually in the limbs. But sometimes things can get worse or get out of hand if the injury affects your head. Skull fracture is what we are talking about here. It can have an adverse effect on your brain and can lead to brain disorders, bleeding and what not. The skull is one of the strongest bones in our body, and a fracture of the head can have a devastating effect. Learn more about our skull fractures and how it can affect your health.
The skull cracked
We talked Dr. Ankush Mehta, Senior Neurologist and Head, BNK Hospital, Bangalore to help us understand the problems related to skull fractures. Skull fracture is any fracture of the cranial bone, also called skull. A skull fracture can only be caused by a very strong impact that can break your skull bones. People with scalp fractures seem to find it very difficult to recover because it affects the number of functions of their brain and body. Fractures of the skull can even lead to paralysis in some cases. Multiple types of skull fractures can occur depending on the area of impact.
Signs of a skull fracture
Although a skull fracture does not require a separate symptom, it can cause severe pain in the head itself. However, in order not to be mistaken for a head injury, here are the symptoms that you should be aware of-
- Mouth sores
- Bleeding from your nostrils or ears or both
- Swelling and tenderness around the affected area
- Redness and warmth at the trauma site
- Acute pain in the area of impact on the scalp
- Bleeding from traumatic wounds, including the eyes, ears, and nose.
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Types of skull fractures
The type of skull fracture depends entirely on the strength of the injury. The position of the impact on the skull and the shape of the object can also enter your head. If there is a dotted object that causes your skull to rupture, it could cause a serious head injury. Here are the following types of skull fractures-
1. Closed fracture
It is also called common fracture. In this type of fracture, the skin covering the fracture area is not broken or cracked. You may have severe pain but the intensity is low and people are often able to recover.
2. Open fracture
This is where complications begin to occur, with open fractures also known as compound fractures. This type of skin is damaged or broken which causes the bones to start coming out. The skull bones are visible and it becomes somewhat difficult to recover and takes a long time.
3. Basal fracture
As the name implies, such fractures occur on the floor or base of the skull. It is the area around the eyes, the nose or the upper part of the neck near the spine. Basal fractures can cause major injuries to other nearby organs and nerves.
4. Cracks in other skulls
Two more types of fractures can occur, one linear and the other communicative. Linear is when the skull fracture occurs in a straight line and is communicated when it is divided into three or more sections or areas.
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What is the cause of skull fracture?
As the doctor has already said, a very strong effect is needed to break the skull bones. So the causes of skull fractures are usually very frustrating and influential. This could be due to the following reasons-
- Hitting with hard objects like bats, hammers, rocks or other objects
- Falling and hitting the ground with your head
- Due to an accident or the impact of an accident
- Hit by a vehicle, object or train while walking
- Being in a physical attack or abuse
- A sports injury is durable
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