The United States currently has more than 5 million children and adults that are living with a permanent disability related to a brain injury. That makes one in every 60 people.
March is brain injury awareness month, and this year the Brain Injury Association of America launched a new campaign, titled More than My Brain Injury. We are joining with them to shed some light on the various types of brain injuries, common symptoms, causes, and lifelong results.
What causes a brain injury?
With how complex the brain is in function, there are various ways it can be injured. Most commonly, brain injuries happen from some sort of physical impact. But occasionally the brain can be injured as a result of brain chemistry disruption from drug use, or even from a lack of oxygen, called an anoxic brain injury.
- 47.9% of brain injuries are from falls
- 17.1% result from being struck by or against something
- 13.2% happen via a car accident
- 8.3% are from assaults
- 13.2% are from other causes like stroke, overdose, or drowning.
Different types of Brain Injuries
An acquired brain injury is any injury to the brain that is not hereditary, congenital, degenerative, or induced by birth trauma. It is basically any brain injury that occurs after birth, and it is divided into one of two categories: traumatic and non-traumatic.
Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
is defined as an alteration in brain function, or other evidence of brain pathology, caused by an external force or trauma. Traumatic impact injuries can be defined as closed (or non-penetrating) or open (penetrating).
Non-Traumatic Brain Injury
happens when damage is done to the brain by internal factors like a lack of oxygen, toxin exposure, pressure from a tumor. When brain chemistry is disrupted…
Symptoms and lasting effects
However a brain injury occurs, it can have lasting effects. The damage to the brain can change the way you think, act, move and feel. The outcome of a brain injury and the complications that come with it are as complex as the brain itself. It can affect various parts of the body, the mind, and personality.
Brain injuries are never a one-size-fits-all circumstance. They are full of complexity with some symptoms presenting immediately, and some potentially showing up days or weeks later. A sampling of the possible symptoms following a brain injury include:
- Headaches
- Seizures
- Spasticity
- Loss of Balance and Increased Dizziness
- Sleep Problems
- Reduced Cognition (Awareness or Comprehension)
- Depression
- Personality Changes
3.6 million people in the US sustain brain injury every year. It is a leading cause of death and disability in the U.S. If you suspect a brain injury has occurred in you or someone you love, come see us at Texas Emergency Care Center.