Healthcare providers put Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI) into 3 types, Mild, Moderate and Severe.

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Approximately 1.5 to 2 million adults and children suffer a traumatic brain injury (TBI) every year in the United States.   

 

1.1 million, will have a moderate to mild TBI that does not require an admission to a hospital or clinic. More than 240,000 individuals will receive in-patient care, with possibly mental and physical therapy. And over 69,000 people will die from issues involving a traumatic brain injury.

 

Nationwide, the total health care costs annually for nonfatal TBIs is estimated at over $40 billion dollars.

 

While recovery from any TBI is possible, the more dramatic the TBI, the more likely both mental and physical therapy will be needed.  A TBI creates chemical changes in your brain, so that the brain cells do not function as they should.  A severe TBI will most likely result in life changing challenges, which will require the patient to adapt and adjust to a new reality.

 

TBI’s typically happen from:

• Falls - are the most common cause of TBIs and occur most frequently among the youngest and oldest

• Blunt force trauma - sporting activities - Vehicle-related injuries - Assaults/Violence – explosions/blasts

 

Traumatic Brain Injuries are typically categorized into 3 basic groups:

• Mild TBI – more than 75% of all TBI are mild, a slight ‘smack’ to the head, resulting in dizziness, headache or a slight concussion. 

• Moderate TBI - May not require treatment other than rest and over-the-counter pain relievers, “brain rest.” Brain rest is halting the previous activities and avoiding concentration or eye attention.  The person should be monitored by their healthcare provider for new or worsening symptoms. 

• Severe TBI – A subdural hematoma is the result of an extremely violent impact to the head, which creates a life threatening condition as blood forms into pools on the surface of the brain, generating pressure against the brain, moving it which is extremely dangerous, and can swiftly turn deadly. 

 

TBI’s have two further categories:

• Closed brain injury - This when there is no actual break in the skull.  It is caused by a ‘blow’ to the skull, causing a shaking of the brain, results in bruising and tearing of brain tissue and blood vessels. 

• Penetrating brain injury – This is when there is a break in the skull, such as when a bullet or another foreign object pierces the skull and entering the brain area and or the actual brain.

 

Can the brain heal after being injured?

Most studies suggest that once brain cells are destroyed or damaged, they do not regenerate. However, one can recover from a TBI, the exact amount of recovery is not predictable.  Recovery from a severe brain injury often involves a prolonged or lifelong process of treatment and rehabilitation.

 

Effects resulting from all three categories of a TBI are similar, such as:

Cognitive deficits, memory problems, amnesia, problem solving deficits, problems with judgment, problem-solving deficits, problems with judgment, problem-solving deficits, problems with judgment, decreased endurance, poor balance, tremors, spasticity, poor coordination, problems with reading, writing, and ability to work with numbers, impaired social capacity resulting in difficult interpersonal relationships, difficulties understanding and responding to the nuances of social interaction, difficulties understanding and responding to the nuances of social interaction.