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What is Traumatic Brain Injury?
What causes Traumatic Brain Injury?
What happens when you get a brain injury? How can you tell if some has a TBI?
Do you always lose consciousness with a TBI?
How long does a brain injury last? Does the injured person always get better?
Are “brain injury” and “head injury” the same thing?
Can you always tell by looking at a person’s head whether or not his/her brain has been injured?
Does getting bumped on the head always result in a brain injury?
Is a concussion the same as a TBI?
What is a coma?
What is Traumatic Brain Injury?
Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is the term used to describe
when brain cells are damaged due to an external, physical
force and a person’s ability to function is, in
some way and to some degree, limited.
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What causes Traumatic Brain Injury?
A Traumatic Brain Injury often results from the head being
struck, penetrated, or violently shaken. Common causes
of TBI include motor vehicle crashes, falls, sports activities,
and assaults, such as gunshot wounds and child abuse,
including Shaken Baby Syndrome.
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What happens when you get a brain injury? How
can you tell if someone has a TBI?
The consequences of a brain injury vary, depending on
how the brain is injured and the severity of the injury.
In addition, one or more areas of the brain can be injured,
effecting a unique combination of functions and abilities.
Some symptoms can appear right away while others might
not show up for days or weeks after the incident. Impairments
to a person’s ability to function physically, mentally,
and/or emotionally may be temporary or permanent, mild
or severe. Some of the changes that could be an indication
of a brain injury include:
| Physical symptoms |
| Headaches |
Seizures |
Weakness |
| Vision problems |
Balance problems |
Muscle spasms |
| Hearing loss |
Decreased stamina |
Loss of taste or smell |
| Altered speech |
Fatigue |
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| Cognitive symptoms |
| Memory problems |
Difficulty keeping organized |
| Difficulty maintaining attention |
Decreased ability to process information |
| Decreased ability to concentrate |
Impaired perception of self and others |
| Problems with planning and decision-making |
Impaired judgment |
| Difficulty completing tasks without reminders |
Difficulty with problem-solving |
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| Emotional/behavioral symptoms |
| Increased anxiety |
Restlessness |
Difficulty with emotional control |
| Depression |
Agitation |
Self-centeredness |
| Mood swings |
Impulsive behavior |
Lack of inhibition & response to social cues |
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Do you always lose consciousness with a TBI?
No. Brain injuries are usually described in terms of mild,
moderate, and severe. Medically speaking, a mild TBI is
one where there is brief or no loss of consciousness.
It is important to know that serious impairments can result
from a TBI even if there is no loss of consciousness.
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How long does a brain injury last? Does the injured
person always get better?
Although injured brain cells can recover over time, there
is no evidence that brain cells that have died can rejuvenate
or that new cells can grow. Recovery can occur, however,
even though new cells do not grow as, it is presumed,
other parts of the brain take over for the destroyed brain
tissue. Obviously, the more extensive the damage, the
more difficult it is for the remaining brain cells to
compensate.
Just as each person is different, each brain injury and
recovery is unique to that person. The outcome of a TBI
depends on a variety of factors, including the cause of
the injury and the location, severity, and extent of the
damage to the brain cells. Outcomes range from full recovery
to death. Even with a mild injury, one person may recover
quickly and completely, while another person can experience
significant challenges even several years after injury.
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Are “brain injury” and “head
injury” the same thing?
The two terms are often used interchangeably, although
many people think of a head injury as a superficial, outward
injury visible on the head or face. Often, people don’t
make the connection between the head being injured and
a possible injury to the brain.
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Can you always tell by looking at a person’s
head whether or not his/her brain has been injured?
No. A TBI can occur without any outward physical evidence
of trauma. This is particularly so when the head is violently
shaken, as with whiplash in an auto accident and Shaken
Baby Syndrome. In these instances, a person should be
observed very closely for symptoms of injury to the brain.
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Does getting bumped on the head always result
in a brain injury?
No, although even in the mildest of injuries, the brain
still gets bruised in much the same way that your leg
might get a bruise if you bump it on something. The brain
is fairly resilient and can generally handle such an injury.
Sometimes, a person can get even a fairly serious blow
to the head without there being much, if any, effect.
Much depends on the location of the injury and the individual
brain’s ability to compensate. In any case where
a person hits their head or their head is severely shaken,
however, the individual should be observed for signs of
a brain injury.
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Is a concussion the same as a TBI?
Yes, a concussion is a Traumatic Brain Injury. It is a
form of “closed head injury,” where there
is no penetration of the skull. Concussion is generally
a mild form of TBI, in the sense that there is usually
no, or very brief, loss of consciousness. A concussion
generally gets better without any long-term effect. Serious
injury can occur if a person has a second concussion before
the original concussion is fully healed. It is for this
reason that a medical specialist should be consulted on
how long an athlete or other person who experiences a
concussion should refrain from physical activity.
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What is a coma?
Coma is often described as “a persistent, vegetative
state from which a person cannot be aroused.” This
description suggests a permanent state where no significant
treatment should be applied. In fact, many individuals
have been aroused from coma. Therefore, coma might more
accurately be described as a state of deep unconsciousness
from which a person has not yet been aroused. A person
in a coma does not speak, open their eyes, respond to
directions, or react in any way to events in the environment.
A coma can last for hours, days, months, or even years.
When diagnosing a coma, the doctor will test reflexes,
check breathing, examine the eyes, and perform other physical
exams. The Glasgow Coma Scale is a tool commonly used
to rate the severity of the person’s condition.
Although scores are sometimes used to determine outcomes
for the injured person, the fact is that the extent of
recovery, as with brain injury in general, is individualized,
with people with higher scores sometimes failing to show
significant improvement while persons with low scores
sometimes achieve excellent results. As such, even though
some physicians will sometimes discourage continued treatment,
unless brain death has been diagnosed, the condition does
not preclude continuation of treatment.
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