Head Injury - Prognosis

The best hope for recovery from head injury is prompt diagnosis and treatment. However, the long-term prognosis for head injuries is often difficult to predict in the first few hours or days after an injury. In some cases, the prognosis is not known for months or years.

Individuals who experience mild head injuries often recover completely and fairly quickly. Some symptoms, however, may last for up to a year after the accident. These symptoms include headache, dizziness, and an inability to think clearly. These symptoms can obviously affect a person's ability to work and to deal normally with other people.

The prognosis for severe head injuries is not as good. Such injuries can often produce permanent physical or mental disabilities. Epileptic seizures are an example. Recovery from a severe head injury may take up to five years or more. The length of recovery often depends on a number of personal factors, such as a person's age, the length of time the person was unconscious following the injury, the number and location of brain injuries, and the duration of amnesia.