Bob Saget’s death has become a wake-up call to take head injuries more seriously.
It’s hard to believe it has been a year since beloved comedian Bob Saget‘s death, but his memory lives on. In an Instagram post in late December, the late comedian’s wife, Kelly Rizzo, reflected on her grief ahead of the tragic anniversary of his passing on Jan. 9, 2022.
“As I’ve said before, I’m just so grateful that I got to have that incredible man in my life and that I got to be in his for 6 years,” Rizzo wrote in a caption underneath a photo of the couple holding hands. He’s also survived by his three daughters, Lara, Aubrey, and Jennifer.
The cause of Saget’s death was revealed in a February 2022 report from the Orange County Medical Examiner, and unfortunately, it was due to an ailment that’s a high risk for just about all of us.
“It is my opinion that the death of Mr. Saget was the result of blunt head trauma,” the medical examiner announced. “His injuries were most likely incurred from an unwitnessed fall. A toxicology analysis did not reveal any illicit drugs or toxins. The manner of death is accident.”
This tragic news has brought renewed attention to brain injuries, which are much more common than you might think. In fact, an estimated 1.5 million Americans suffer a brain injury each year, and it remains a leading cause of death and disability among children and young adults throughout the country, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
Randall Chesnut, M.D., a neurosurgeon and professor at the University of Washington medical school, says head injuries aren’t always the result of a dramatic accident like a car wreck — they can be the result of everyday freak accidents, like bumping your head on the cupboard or slipping on some ice. But that doesn’t mean they’re any less serious.
“They’re just not like other kinds of injuries,” Dr. Chesnut tells us. “And I think that’s what the public doesn’t understand: A head injury is a very serious thing, but you can’t think of it like a knee or rib fracture.”
He shares advice below about what to do if you sustain a hit to the head and want to know what to do next.
Don’t dismiss even a simple bump to the head
Dr. Chesnut says an accidental knock on your head can be especially life-threatening compared to other injuries because, if left untreated, it could lead to lifelong disabilities, or even death. It’s scary but true: approximately 2 percent of the population live with a permanent disability that stems from a brain injury.
“The measure of outcome in brain injury is not just life or death, it’s also disability,” says Dr. Chesnut. “It’s everything from being essentially dead, like vegetative, to being just not the same person.”
Look out for head trauma symptoms
The most obvious signs of potential head trauma often include a bad headache, double vision, dizziness, nausea, or vomiting. If these symptoms persist, then Dr. Chesnut says to seek professional medical care right away. He also recommends being especially careful about sustaining a blow to your head a second time soon afterward, because that can lead to what’s known as “second impact syndrome.” This rare condition happens when the brain swells rapidly after a person suffers a second concussion, before symptoms from a previous concussion have subsided.
“If you bash your head hard, seek help. Hopefully, you’ll get better and you’ll be fine,” he tells us. “But the secret is, make sure you don’t do it again for a while.”
Some symptoms may be more subtle. That’s why Dr. Chesnut says it’s crucial for you and others to take note of any behavioral changes, which can range from not being able to speak to not being able to concentrate, to feeling more irritable.
“It’s a really tragic spectrum because it manifests as sometimes subtle behavioral differences,” he tells us. “Head trauma can be really apparent, like you can’t move to the side or you can’t speak, or it can be much more subtle.” It’s the subtle signs you have to look out for, he says, because there’s often “very little effect” from them, therefore making those injuries easier to ignore.
Take extra precautions if you’re at high-risk
Those who are seniors or on any kind of blood thinners are at a higher risk of bleeding in the brain, and Dr. Chesnut warns that means that even “relatively minor trauma can turn into a potentially major disaster.”
If these bumps happen when you’re alone, he recommends avoiding going to sleep right away and considering going to the hospital if the injury was especially intense. But he says, at the very least, you should let someone close by know that you hit your head, in case the situation starts to devolve.
“The trouble with head injuries is that they’re not always dramatic,” he tells us. A hit to the head isn’t something you can see right away — or something you need stitches or a cast for, he points out, “but it’s a bad injury, nonetheless.”
The information provided on this site isn’t intended as medical advice, and shouldn’t replace professional medical treatment. Consult your doctor with any serious health concerns.
