Head injury — advice for adults
What to look out for, and how to look after yourself, after a head injury.
We have examined you and it is safe for you to go home. Serious problems after a head injury are uncommon, but they can occasionally develop over the first few days. This leaflet tells you what to watch for and how to recover well. Please keep it somewhere easy to find, and make sure someone at home reads it too.
Your care details
To be completed by the team before you leave.
These can be signs of a more serious injury and need checking urgently.
- Knocked out, or very hard to keep awake or wake up
- Feeling sleepy for more than an hour when you'd normally be awake
- Confusion — not knowing where you are, the time, or who you're with
- Trouble speaking or understanding others
- Being sick (vomiting)
- A fit or seizure (convulsion)
- Weakness, numbness or clumsiness in an arm or leg
- Problems with your eyesight
- Loss of balance or trouble walking
- A severe headache that won't settle with paracetamol
- Clear fluid leaking from your nose or ear
- New bleeding from one or both ears
For the first 24–48 hours
- Do not be alone for the first 24 hours — stay with a responsible adult who can keep an eye on you.
- Stay near a phone for the first day or two so you can get help quickly if you need it.
- Do not drive, cycle or operate machinery until you feel completely back to normal. Ask your doctor if you are unsure.
- You may take paracetamol for a headache. Avoid alcohol and recreational drugs.
- Do not take sleeping tablets, sedatives or tranquillisers unless a doctor has prescribed them for you.
Symptoms that are usually nothing to worry about
These are common in the first few days and normally settle within about 2 weeks:
See your GP if you are worried about any of these in the first few days, or if they have not gone after 2 weeks.
Recovering well
- Rest for 2–3 days, then build back up gradually, guided by how you feel. If symptoms get worse, drop back to a level that felt manageable.
- Work, school or college: return gradually rather than all at once.
- Exercise: light, non-contact activity can restart once you feel better, building up over a few weeks.
- Contact sport (football, rugby, boxing, martial arts): avoid for at least 3 weeks, and until a healthcare professional confirms you have fully recovered. If you were told you have a skull fracture, avoid contact sport for 4–6 weeks.
- Driving: do not drive until you feel completely back to normal.
Longer-term recovery
Most people recover fully and quickly. A small number take longer, or notice problems after a few weeks — such as ongoing tiredness, dizziness, balance, memory or vision difficulties. This is sometimes called post-concussion syndrome. Rarely, hormone problems can develop months or years later. See your GP if symptoms last beyond 2 weeks or you are concerned. For more support, visit Headway (headway.org.uk) or search "Headway concussion".