How long should scalp tenderness last after head injury?

Question

Hi doctor,

About a month ago, I hit the back of my head on the underside of a cabinet when standing up. It hurt, but I did not pass out or anything like that. For a day or two, I felt slightly dizzy. I had a dull headache for about a week.

The back of my head was tender to touch, but no bleeding or a wound. Here we are a month later, and my scalp is still tender to the touch. I feel like that part has not changed. My husband was looking at my head last night because I said it was still bothering me.

He thinks I have a small lump, but it might just be my head. Otherwise, he does not see anything else. Should I be getting this checked out? Currently, I am taking an Omeprazole tablet.

Kindly help.

Thank you.

Answer 1

Hi,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I understand your concern.

You mentioned the history of being hit on the back of the head about a month ago. You had symptoms like pain on the hit spot, dizziness for two days, a dull headache for one week, and a tender feeling in the hit area on the scalp.

I hope you did not have any nausea or vomiting episodes, loss of consciousness (even one episode), vision problems, visible external wound or bleeding, etc. On assessing your symptoms, it is very obvious that the force of the impact was severe enough to cause the above symptoms, and still, the hit area on the scalp is tender.

The symptoms of tenderness have not gone away even after one month, which suggests that you should seek medical attention from a doctor. The doctor would do a local examination of the scalp to locate possible bumps, if present, and a neurological examination to ensure everything is fine.

There would probably not be any significant injury beneath the scalp, but this can be said after the local examination is done by the doctor. So I would suggest you visit a local doctor to get medical guidance regarding it to decrease your doubt, get peace of mind, and ensure that everything is normal.

I suggest you take a tablet of Ibuprofen for pain. I hope you do not have any other chronic conditions, like high blood pressure, and are not taking any medicine as a blood thinner.

Kindly revert in case of further queries.

I hope this helps.

Thank you.

Answer 2

Hi,

Welcome back to icliniq.com.

Ideally, I suggest you visit the local doctor as soon as possible or before taking a journey because the scalp tenderness has persisted for about a month. So if you can reschedule the date for going out, it would be better to get it checked soon.

But since you have no other symptoms at present except mild localized scalp tenderness. If going out of town cannot be canceled, be very watchful for any new symptoms like nausea, vomiting, headache, balance issues, and so on. During the journey, take medical assistance from nearby health care immediately.

I hope you will take the necessary steps accordingly.

Thank you.