Overview of Brain Injuries

About Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI)

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a serious public health problem in the United States. The CDC reports that each year at least 1.7 million TBIs occur as an isolated injury or along with other injuries.

A brain injury or TBI is caused by a sudden bump, blow or jolt to the head, or a TBI can be a penetrating head injury where an object enters through the skull and disrupts the normal function of the brain. Not all blows to the head result in a brain injury and TBIs can vary from mild as in a brief change in consciousness to severe; for example, amnesia or coma after the injury. The worst brain injuries can lead to permanent brain damage or death to the accident victim.

Signs and Symptoms of a Brain Injury

A TBI can cause a wide range of changes in the brain which can affect thinking, sensation and emotions; a TBI can also be associated with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Those people who suffer severe brain injuries tend to require extensive rehabilitation in the form of physical therapy, speech therapy, recreation therapy, occupational therapy and possibly vision therapy. It could take years for the person to return to their normal self, but sometimes regaining the quality of life they previously enjoyed before the accident is an impossibility.

A serious brain injury can cause an extended period of unconsciousness, confusion, slurred speech, agitation, inability to waken from sleep, convulsions, seizures, repeated vomiting, fluid that drains from the nose or ears, loss of coordination, and weakness or numbness in the extremities.