This month is Brain Injury Awareness Month. The purpose of this month is to raise awareness of brain injuries and provide support to those who need it. Traumatic brain injuries go beyond athletic concussions. And they are more common than you think. In fact, every nine seconds someone in the United States sustains a brain injury. The brain is complex which makes brain injuries more difficult to manage compared to other injuries. The more you know about traumatic brain injuries, the better you can understand the causes, track the symptoms, and get the help necessary to reduce the potential damage.
What is a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)?
A TBI is caused by a hit, blow, or joint to the head or the body. It goes without saying that the more serious the impact, the more serious the damage will likely be. TBIs can have minor, short-term symptoms or major, long-lasting damage. Unlike an injury to bone or muscle, a TBI can affect every aspect of life including emotional and mental health. As such, symptoms, duration, and seriousness will vary.
Unfortunately, TBIs often go undiagnosed. This will happen for a variety of reasons.
How can a TBI occur?
Traumatic brain injuries are often associated with sports. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that as many as 3.8 million sports and recreation brain injuries occur annually in the United States. Collision sports are at the highest risk, including sports like wrestling, football, and soccer.
However, collisions occur on a much wider scale. Some of the most common causes outside of sports of TBIs are falls, motor vehicle accidents, or being struck by something. TBIs can also be caused by an object that penetrates the brain tissue, such as a bullet1. This puts all military personnel at high risk.
Who is at risk?
Since brain injury is associated with athletes, the assumption is made that only athletes are susceptible. Yet, anyone of any age can get in a car accident, fall of a ladder, or be hit by an object. According to the Mayo Clinic, here are the demographics most at risk:
- Children, especially newborns to 4-year-olds
- Young adults, especially those between ages 15 and 24
- Adults age 60 and older
What are the symptoms of a TBI?
TBIs are either categorized as mild or severe. The symptoms that appear will often depend on the severity.
Symptoms of a mild brain injury1:
- Loss of consciousness ranging from a few seconds to a few minutes
- Speech difficulty
- Dizziness or poor balance
- Difficulty sleeping
- Feeling dazed and disoriented
- Sensitivity to light or sound
- Sensory problems such as changes in taste or ringing ears
- Mood changes
- Feelings of depression or anxiety
Symptoms of a more serious brain injury1:
- Loss of consciousness ranging from several minutes to hours
- Constant headache or headache that worsens
- Numbness in fingers or toes
- Recurrent vomiting or nausea
- Seizures or convulsions
- Dilated pupils
- Loss of coordination
- Clear fluids leaking from ears or nose
- Inability to wake up
- Extreme confusion
- Unusual behavior
- Slurred speech
What can a TBI lead to?
Unfortunately, an untreated TBI will not simply heal with time like other injuries. An untreated TBI or repeated TBIs can cause degenerative brain diseases. Such diseases include dementia, Alzheimer’s, and Parkinson’s.
Though experiencing a TBI does not guarantee you will develop a disease, an untreated TBI can cause damage that will cause lifelong damage.
Prevention is the only true cure for TBIs. In order to avoid a TBI, your brain must protect from the inside and out. Here is a list of ways you can protect yourself and your loved ones.
- Eat a healthy diet by including omega-3s like DHA that have been shown to increase brain resilience
- Always wear a seatbelt and helmet when appropriate
- Never drive under the influence
- Prevent tripping hazards by using adequate lighting around your home
- Use stair gates to protect infants and young children
- Provide handrails where needed
- Use every gun safety measure, especially where children reside
- If you participate in contact sports, have regular visit with your physician
- Secure area rugs
- Reduce risk of slipping by adding a mat to your shower/bathtub
- Get regular vision checkups
- Keeps floors clear of obstacles
Treatment for TBIs varies depending on the nature of the injury. Most treatment options apply to moderate or severe brain injuries. There are a few different avenues your physican can take for more serious TBIs.
Emergency Care. After the injury occurs, immediate emergency care will be necessary. During this care, diagnostics are run and treatment plans assembled. This will be a critical time to make sure damage does not continue to progress and that the individual is stable.
Medication. The purpose of medication is to limit further damage and injury. Typical types of medication are diuretics, anti-seizure drugs, and coma-inducing drugs (MAYO).
Rehabilitation & Therapy. Rehabilitation following a TBI will be physical and mental. The extent of therapy needed will depend on the individual. Such treatment may include specialists such as physical therapists, psychiatrists, and occupational therapists.
Surgery. Surgery is not always necessary but will be used if loss of brain tissue occurs. Procedures, such as repairing fractures and stopping bleeding on the brain, help protect the brain tissue.
If you or someone you know as experienced a head injury, whether in the near or distant past, visit your physician and make sure you take the necessary steps to rehabilitating your brain.