Head injuries and falls
Head injuries and falls: a chapter of the First Aid Book, with the steps that help in the first minutes of an emergency.
10 cards · Science
Each Zap teaches up to 5 new cards, so you learn the chapter a few at a time.
Checked by the Brain Zap team · reviewed 27 Oct 2026
Sources: First aid (NHS), First aid advice (British Red Cross), European Resuscitation Council guidelines
Preview
Brain injury from a knock: headache, dizziness, confusion
Show answerHide answer: Brain injury from a knock: headache, dizziness, confusion
Concussion
Learn more: Most people recover with rest, but they should be checked by a doctor and watched closely.
After a head injury, call the emergency number if…
Show answerHide answer: After a head injury, call the emergency number if…
They lose consciousness
Learn more: Also call if they vomit again and again, have a seizure, have clear fluid from the nose or ears, or get worse.
Head injury, then clear fluid from the nose: it may be…
Show answerHide answer: Head injury, then clear fluid from the nose: it may be…
A skull fracture
Learn more: Clear fluid from the nose or ears after a head injury needs an ambulance straight away.
How long someone should stay with them after a head injury
Show answerHide answer: How long someone should stay with them after a head injury
24 hours
Learn more: Symptoms can appear later, so someone should stay and get help if they get worse.
For a bleeding scalp wound, apply…
Show answerHide answer: For a bleeding scalp wound, apply…
Firm pressure with a pad
Learn more: Scalp wounds bleed heavily; press with a clean pad, and get help if it won't stop or the skull may be hurt.
About this topic
Falls are among the most common accidents at home and in sport, and a knock to the head can hide a serious injury. This chapter covers the signs of concussion, when a head injury needs an ambulance, how to protect a neck that may be hurt, and how to help an older person who has fallen. It also covers fainting, cold packs and what to do with a knocked-out tooth, following current NHS and British Red Cross advice.
This is a chapter of the First Aid Book. It is no substitute for a first aid course: whenever in doubt, call the emergency number. Each card asks one question, with a hint before you answer and a short reason after.
All 10 cards
Brain injury from a knock: headache, dizziness, confusion
Concussion
Learn more: Most people recover with rest, but they should be checked by a doctor and watched closely.
After a head injury, call the emergency number if…
They lose consciousness
Learn more: Also call if they vomit again and again, have a seizure, have clear fluid from the nose or ears, or get worse.
Head injury, then clear fluid from the nose: it may be…
A skull fracture
Learn more: Clear fluid from the nose or ears after a head injury needs an ambulance straight away.
How long someone should stay with them after a head injury
24 hours
Learn more: Symptoms can appear later, so someone should stay and get help if they get worse.
For a bleeding scalp wound, apply…
Firm pressure with a pad
Learn more: Scalp wounds bleed heavily; press with a clean pad, and get help if it won't stop or the skull may be hurt.
Suspected neck injury after a fall: you should…
Keep the head still
Learn more: Moving a damaged neck can harm the spinal cord; keep them still and call the emergency number.
An older person falls and can't get up: first…
Check for injuries
Learn more: If they're hurt or can't get up, keep them warm and comfortable and call for help; don't lift them alone.
Someone has fainted: lay them down and…
Raise their legs
Learn more: Raising the legs helps blood return to the brain; most people come round within a minute or two.
How long to hold a wrapped cold pack on a bump
Up to 20 minutes
Learn more: Wrap ice in a cloth to protect the skin, and hold it on for up to 20 minutes at a time to ease swelling.
Keep a knocked-out adult tooth in…
Milk
Learn more: Hold it by the crown, not the root, and see a dentist straight away for the best chance of saving it.
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