About Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)

What Is Traumatic Brain Injury?

Traumatic brain injury, often referred to by the abbreviation TBI, is usually an acute event similar to other injuries. That is where the similarity between TBI and most and other injuries ends.

Since our brain plays such a central role in all aspects of who we are, the consequences of a brain injury can affect every area of our lives, including our behavior, personality, senses, moods etc. A brain injury is different from other injuries in that it doesn't affect just one area of your body and in that brain injuries do not heal like other injuries. Recovery is a functional recovery, based on mechanisms that remain uncertain. No two brain injuries are alike and the consequence of two similar injuries may be very different. Symptoms may appear right away or may not be present for days or weeks after the injury. One of the consequences of brain injury is that the person often does not realize that a brain injury has occurred.

What are The Effects of TBI?

Most people are unaware of the scope of TBI or its overwhelming nature. TBI is a common injury and may be missed initially when the medical team is focused on saving the individual's life. Before medical knowledge and technology advanced to control breathing with respirators and decrease intra cranial pressure, which is the pressure in the fluid surrounding the brain, the death rate from traumatic brain injuries was very high. Although the medical technology has advanced significantly, the effects of TBI are significant.

A brain injury can be classified as mild if loss of consciousness and/or confusion and disorientation is shorter than 30 minutes. While MRI and CAT scans are often normal, the individual has cognitive problems such as headache, difficulty thinking, memory problems, attention deficits, mood swings and frustration. These injuries are commonly overlooked. Even though this type of TBI is called "mild", the effect on the family and the injured person can be devastating.

Severe brain injury is associated with loss of consciousness for more than 30 minutes and memory loss after the injury or penetrating skull injury longer than 24 hours. The deficits range from impairment of higher level cognitive functions to comatose states. Survivors may have limited function of arms or legs, abnormal speech or language, loss of thinking ability or emotional problems. The range of injuries and degree of recovery is very variable and varies on an individual basis.

If You are Concerned About Possible TBI Please Contact Ross Downs

**much of the information above is from traumaticbraininjury.com-an online resource related to TBI