Bumped head at waterpark
 

Yesterday my girlfriend and I were at the local waterpark as an alternative to the beach since it is a long drive.

One of the rides we rode tandem, both of us on one inflatable raft, that went through a tunnel and fed into a shallow swimming pool at the bottom. As we were getting out, she got up before me and I was not expecting it - so I fell a bit backwards into the steel/metal handrail in the steps of the shallow end of the waiting pool and bumped the back of my head [on the metal handrail of the pool].

The main side effect has been headache and watery eyes. But I've also had some sniffling for a few days and can't tell if it's overlapping with allergy-type behavior.


Summary: Was getting off of a float/raft in the shallow end of the waiting pool after going down a tunnel ride in a waterpark and when I was getting out, I fell slightly backwards and bumped the back of my head on the steel/metal handrail of the pool.

Would this worry anyone of a possible concussion? I felt no tenderness/soreness on my head and don't have a goose egg or bump. There was just a bit of a clunk sound when I hit it. No loss of consciousness and headache was worse yesterday - not as bad today. Memory is still good and I recall what happened before and after. Didn't throw up.

I have a question.

Where are people getting the idea that any head bump is likely a concussion?

A bump or goose egg on the head is not indicative of a concussion. Tenderness or soreness on the head does not indicate a concussion.

Other than amnesia of the event and a bit of time before or after, a person cannot self-diagnose memory dysfunction. That requires sophisticated tests. Self-diagnosis will likely lead to all kinds of erroneous conclusions.

If one had no symptoms of a concussion at the moment of the impact, why do so many worry so much about the impact being a concussion? You can't back up time and erase the head bump. What would change if it was a minor concussion with no lingering symptoms?

When one suffers a concussion, you treat the symptoms, not the impact.

I went for a physical but still brought up the head bump and the on-site CRNP basically just felt my head and asked if there was tenderness to the touch and said 'you weren't knocked out? Then probably no concussion. Take some tylenol.' I'm sure that wouldn't satisfy a lot of folks here since only like 10% of c's result in LOC.