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Frequently Asked Questions: Brain Damage
Frequently Asked Questions: Personal Injury
Article: Traumatic Brain Injury
An estimated 1.5 million people per year visit their doctor because of a head injury. Most injuries are minor, but the more serious injuries involve… » More …
Most head injuries are minor, but the more serious injuries involve a traumatic brain injury, or "TBI." TBI can result from exposure to toxic chemicals, oxygen deprivation, tumors, infections, stroke, or hemorrhages, but the most common sources of TBI are bullet wounds, falls, and car crashes. TBI can result from a car accident even if the driver or passenger did not hit their head. If your injury was caused by another person's negligent act or failure to take proper precautions, you may be entitled to compensation.
The brain can become injured in a number of different ways. The most obvious way is through a direct injury to the head that penetrates the skull, such as a gunshot wound. Due to the brain's gelatin-like consistency, rapid accelerations and decelerations can cause the components of the brain to be pulled apart. If the brain is pushed against the inside of the skull, swelling can occur. If the swelling is profuse, it can become "trapped" in between the brain and skull and push against the brain causing further injury.
Traumatic brain injuries are typically classified as mild, moderate, or severe. Most traumatic brain injuries are mild. Mild injuries occur when the loss of consciousness or disorientation is shorter than 30 minutes. Victims of mild injuries exhibit cognitive deficits such as memory, attention and thinking difficulties, mood swings, irritability, depression, sleep disturbance, and headaches. Symptoms can last for a year or more but do not necessarily appear as soon as the injury occurs. Because the symptoms are subtle, doctors, family, and even the injured person often overlook them.
A moderate or severe trauma usually causes the same cognitive deficits outlined above, in addition to impulsiveness, language processing difficulties, and an impaired ability to construct and implement plans. Chronic pain, loss of energy, changes in appetite, and abnormal body temperature regulation are common. Victims may find it difficult to speak, comprehend spoken words, read, or write. Moderate and severe injuries may also pose sensory problems such as difficulty judging the position of limbs, difficulty judging distance, blurred vision, and difficulty integrating information, as well as hearing, smell, and taste complications. Finally, moderate and severe injuries may be accompanied by emotional disturbances such as depression, increased aggression, loss of inhibition, and irritability. Because the brain is the center of thinking, one peculiar consequence of TBI is that victims may lose their ability to recognize changes in their own personality and body.
If you've determined that you've suffered a traumatic brain injury, you should see a doctor immediately. A doctor can ensure that your injuries don't become aggravated due to poor oxygen supply or poor blood supply.
Half of all severe brain injury victims undergo surgery to remove or repair bruises and blood vessels that have ruptured as a result of the injury. The surgical team may include trauma surgeons, neurosurgeons, physicians to operate on head and neck injuries, and orthopedic surgeons to examine injuries to bone.
TBI cannot be reversed but it can often be treated through intense therapy. Victims of moderate or severe TBI are often provided with a treatment plan that includes physical, occupational, and speech therapists, physicians, psychiatrists, psychotherapists, and social workers.
The evidence regarding recovery is still to be ascertained. Some of the factors that doctors consider are the severity of the injury, duration of coma, post-injury amnesia, and age. Victims who suffer mild injuries, experience shorter comas and shorter periods of amnesia, and who are younger have better chances of recovery.
Some common theories of how the brain recovers from TBI are redundancy, diaschisis, and substitution. Recovery by redundancy occurs when two parts of the brain are able to perform the same function and one remains intact after the injury. Diaschisis is the process by which a part of the brain that was linked to injury but not injured itself stops functioning but resumes functioning at a later date. During substitution, an intact area of the brain takes over the functions of an injured area. Many individuals simply learn new techniques and strategies for coping with their injuries.
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