Understanding Brain Injuries

Did you know that the human brain is mostly water?  Luckily, it is surrounded by a very hard, protective shell:  the skull.  However, sometimes even the skull cannot protect the brain from injury.  A traumatic brain injury (or TBI, for short) comes from a direct blow to the head.  The force of the blow causes the brain to move inside the skull or—if  severe enough— breaks through the skull and damages the brain.

• Men are twice as likely to suffer from a traumatic brain injury than women.  Adolescents, young adults, and senior citizens have a high risk for a TBI—with people from 15 to 24 years most at risk.
• Every year, nearly 1.5 million Americans experience a brain injury; 50,000 of them don’t survive; and about 90,000 of them suffer permanent disabilities from their injuries.  Currently, there are more than 5 million Americans living with the effects of a traumatic brain injury.

So, how do all these injuries happen?  The most common causes are:

• Car accidents.
• Falls.
• Sporting accidents.
• Gun shot wounds.
• Other physical violence.

Some common symptoms of head injuries include:

• Loss of consciousness.
• Dilated pupils or pupils of different sizes.
• Nausea and vomiting.
• Headache.
• Drowsiness.
• Dizziness.
• Irritability.
• Stiff neck.
• Slurred speech.
• Memory issues.
• Blurred or double vision.
• Confusion.

These symptoms can occur immediately after the injury or can develop slowly, over time.  And, because some of the symptoms are a bit vague, they might be mistaken for signs of other medical conditions.

Every brain injury is different—and so is the recovery.  It can take weeks, months, or even years to determine whether an injury has caused permanent brain damage.