Traumatic Brain Injury

A traumatic brain injury (TBI) happens when your head or body receives a forceful impact. This could be a hard hit, a fall, or something hitting your head, like a bullet or a piece of broken bone. The impact can cause damage to the brain.

A mild TBI might only temporarily affect your brain cells. Think of it like a small bump—it might leave you feeling a little fuzzy for a while but then you recover. However, a more severe TBI can cause much more significant damage. This damage can include bruising, tearing of brain tissue, bleeding (like a brain bleed), and other physical problems inside the brain. Serious injuries can have lasting effects or even be life-threatening.

A brain injury from a bump, blow, or jolt can affect your body and mind in many ways. Sometimes, you notice problems right away. Other times, the effects might not show up for a few days or even weeks.

If you or your child gets hurt in a way that worries you, or if their behavior changes after a bump or blow, see a doctor right away. If there are any signs of a head injury, like problems with thinking, feeling, or acting, or if you have other concerns, get immediate medical help.

Head injuries can range from mild to severe. Even a mild head injury is a serious matter and needs to be checked out quickly by a doctor. A quick and accurate diagnosis is important, so don't delay. The doctor will determine the severity of the injury based on how it affects your brain function.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) happens when a blow or other forceful impact damages the head or body. How badly the brain is hurt depends on things like how strong the impact was and what caused it.

Many things can cause TBI. Here are some common examples:

• Falls: Tripping and falling, whether from a bed, ladder, stairs, or even the bathtub, are a major cause of TBI, especially in older adults and young children. These falls often happen when balance or coordination is compromised.
• Car Accidents: Collisions involving cars, motorcycles, bicycles, or when someone is hit by a vehicle, are frequent causes of TBI. The force of these collisions can be significant, leading to serious brain injury.
• Violence: Injuries from physical assaults, like gunshot wounds, domestic violence, child abuse, and other forms of violence, can cause TBI. Shaken baby syndrome is a type of TBI that occurs when an infant is violently shaken. The rapid back-and-forth motion of the baby's head within the skull causes damage.
• Sports Injuries: Many sports can lead to TBI, especially contact sports like soccer, boxing, football, baseball, lacrosse, skateboarding, and hockey. These injuries are particularly common among young athletes. The impact of collisions or hard hits during play can result in brain damage.
• Explosions and Military Injuries: Explosive blasts, common in combat situations, are a major cause of TBI for military personnel. While the exact way explosions cause brain damage isn't fully understood, the sudden pressure wave traveling through the brain is thought to disrupt its normal function. This can also occur in other situations involving blasts or other significant explosions.

TBI can also happen from penetrating wounds (like a bullet or knife wound), severe blows to the head from flying objects like shrapnel, or when a person falls or is hit by an object after an explosion. The force of these impacts can cause significant brain damage.

People who are more likely to get a brain injury from a sudden, violent impact include:

• Young children: Babies and toddlers (up to four years old) are especially vulnerable because their brains and bodies are still developing. Their heads are also proportionally larger than their bodies, making them more susceptible to falls and bumps.

• Young adults: Teenagers and young adults (ages 15 to 24) often participate in activities that carry a higher risk of injury, like sports or risky behaviors. Their brains are still maturing, and they may not always make the safest decisions.

• Older adults: People over 60 have a higher risk of falls and other accidents, which can lead to brain injuries. Age-related changes in the body, like weaker muscles and slower reflexes, play a role.

• Men of all ages: Men tend to have a higher rate of brain injuries across all age groups. This could be related to factors like different types of activities or behaviors they may engage in more often.

Brain injuries, especially severe ones, can lead to various problems right away or later on. More serious injuries are linked to a higher chance of experiencing more and worse complications. This means that a severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) could result in a wider range of problems and that those problems might be more difficult to manage than with a less severe injury.

Protecting Your Brain: Simple Steps to Reduce Injury Risk

Brain injuries can be serious. Here are some easy steps you can take to lower your chances of getting one:

1. Safe Driving and Vehicle Safety:

• Buckle Up: Always wear your seatbelt when in a car, truck, or other motor vehicle. This is crucial for protecting yourself during crashes. A child should be properly secured in a car seat or booster seat that fits their size and weight. Always put children in the back seat. This helps to keep them safer in the event of a collision.
• Don't Drive Impaired: Never drive a car or operate any motor vehicle if you've had too much alcohol or drugs, including prescription medicines. These can affect your judgment and reaction time, making you more likely to have an accident.

2. Protecting Your Head:

• Helmet Safety: Wear a helmet when participating in activities that could put your head at risk. This includes riding bicycles, skateboards, motorcycles, snowmobiles, and ATVs. Appropriate head protection is also essential for sports like baseball (especially for those at risk of contact), contact sports, skiing, skating, snowboarding, and horseback riding.

3. Stay Alert and Aware:

• Put Down Your Phone: Avoid using your phone, tablet, or any other smart device while driving, walking, or crossing the street. Distractions like these can easily lead to accidents or falls. Concentrate on what's happening around you. Paying attention to your surroundings is a key way to avoid injury.

Serious head injuries, or traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), can be life-threatening. If someone has a severe TBI, their condition can get worse quickly without medical attention. Doctors and emergency responders need to act fast.

A common tool for quickly assessing how serious a head injury is called the Glasgow Coma Scale. It's a 15-point test that looks at how well a person can follow instructions, move their eyes and body, and speak clearly. A higher score on the scale means a less severe injury.

If you see someone get hurt or arrive on the scene soon after, your observations can be very helpful. Tell emergency personnel what you saw. Here are important details to share:

• How did the injury happen? (e.g., fall, car accident, blow to the head)
• Did the person lose consciousness? If so, how long?
• Were there any changes in their alertness, speech, or coordination? Did they seem confused or dazed?
• Where was the head or other body parts hit?
• How strong was the impact? (e.g., how high was the fall, what object hit them, were they thrown from a vehicle?)
• Was the person's body violently shaken or tossed around?

These details help doctors understand the force of the injury. Brain swelling after a TBI can put pressure on the brain, causing more damage. Doctors sometimes use a special tool inserted into the skull to monitor this pressure.

Important Tests for TBI:

• Computed Tomography (CT) Scan: This is often the first test done in an emergency room for suspected head injuries. A CT scan uses X-rays to create detailed images of the brain. It can show broken bones, bleeding in the brain (hemorrhage), blood clots, bruised brain tissue, and swelling. This is a quick way to assess the damage.

• Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI): An MRI uses powerful magnets and radio waves to create detailed images of the brain. Doctors might use an MRI after a person's condition is more stable or if their symptoms aren't improving quickly after the injury. It provides even more detailed information than a CT scan.

In short, if someone has a head injury, quick action and accurate information are crucial. The more details you can give emergency personnel, the better they can assess the situation and provide the best possible care.