Can your head be re-shaped due to a collision? (bleeding, soreness, depression)

[antinimby]

I accidentally hit my head on the side of the roof of a minivan really hard last night while getting into the minivan. As hard as I hit it (and other people said it was really loud) I did not pass out or bled. I just got a throbbing headache and some soreness in the area. There is surprisingly no bump. However, as I feel around the area of my head, it feels like the area where I hit it feels like there is a depression. Can my skull really get reshapened from hitting it like that or am I mistaken?

[CSD610]

You should have yourself medically checked since you hit so hard you may have given yourself a concussion.
Did you see stars? (No I'm not kidding, I've had 2 concussions and literally saw stars like in the cartoons with both of them).

[antinimby]

No concussions and no stars. I am alert and perfectly okay, just soreness and initial headache. I don't plan on going to the doctor.

[Sabinerose]

I would say "yes" it is possible for a head to re-shape due to a collision....HOWEVER, your bump was not severe enough to cause a part of your skull to indent. For an adult skull to change shape due to an injury, you would have to have a fairly traumatic event happen (think: car accident, running into a tree while skiing, etc...). If you truly believe that you hit your head hard enough to cause an indentation in your skull, then you should rethink your plan of not seeking medical care. A blow that is hard enough to damage your skull is also hard enough to cause some bleeding in the brain.

Is it possible that you have some slight swelling around the point of impact and the swelling is making it feel indented? It's the only thing I can think of...

[Route99]

Originally Posted by Sabinerose

I would say "yes" it is possible for a head to re-shape due to a collision....HOWEVER, your bump was not severe enough to cause a part of your skull to indent. For an adult skull to change shape due to an injury, you would have to have a fairly traumatic event happen (think: car accident, running into a tree while skiing, etc...). If you truly believe that you hit your head hard enough to cause an indentation in your skull, then you should rethink your plan of not seeking medical care. A blow that is hard enough to damage your skull is also hard enough to cause some bleeding in the brain.

Is it possible that you have some slight swelling around the point of impact and the swelling is making it feel indented? It's the only thing I can think of...

I recently had a similar experience last night. I was rushing to get into my car as there was traffic coming, and as I ducked into my car I misjudged and jammed the top of my head into the top of the door jam. I stopped for a second, then quickly got into the car to avoid the traffic. When I put my fingers on top of my head I expected a slight bruise or minor scrape, but instead what I felt was an indentation into the top of my adult head. (I would not classify this as a reshaping of my head, but I'm no medical professional.) I'm a big guy, so I could have hit the door jam with a fair amount of force. The indentation had the surface area of maybe a small finger print, maybe 1/2" long and was maybe 1/4" of an inch deep. Heck, it could have been less than a 1/4" indentation, but it was extremely noticeable at first and for the next 30 minutes or hour. The area of the head hit is directly above the ears. I checked it multiple times as it was so odd and something I had never experienced before.

I never lost consciousness, didn't vomit or bleed, and I remember everything that happened before, during, and after the mini collision. I drove for an hour after the accident without incident or worry. The indentation gradually reduced in size, and the area became a little tender. (Duh. Car jam 1, head 0.) There is now a slight bump. The indentation was the biggest surprise. My eyelid twitched a few times in the hour after, possibly unrelated, and I felt possibly an extremely minor loss of coordination and or dizziness for just a bit after the collision. I would say the tenderness now includes slight swelling and there appears to be some very minor discoloration. The online sources I read seem to say this doesn't qualify as a concussion. As a precautionary note I took it easier today. In advance, thank you for your time.