Brain Injury - Overview
Every year in America, nearly 100,000 people suffer serious brain injuries that require medical treatment and affect their ability to perform everyday activities. You do not have to be traveling at a high rate of speed or to strike a hard object in order to suffer a traumatic brain injury. Serious brain injuries can result from falls, car accidents, sports activities, and work-related accidents. Any kind of trauma to the head or neck region can cause the brain to bruise, bleed, tear, or swell.
Types of Brain Injuries: Open and Closed
There are two general types of head injuries: open and closed. An open injury means the skull has been fractured, and this kind of brain injury usually results from falls or other accidents in which the head comes in direct contact with a hard surface or object. A closed head injury does not involve a fracture, but can be more serious than an open injury due to the possibility of brain swelling and the formation of dangerous blood clots inside the skull. Whether a brain injury is open or closed, the most serious of either type can cause paralysis, loss of consciousness, and even death.
Serious Brain Injury: Warning Signs
Soon after an accident or injury, it may be difficult to know whether you or a loved one has suffered a brain injury, especially when no visual indications of serious injury exist. Here are some things to look out for when evaluating an accident victim's potential for brain injuries:
- Confusion and difficulty remembering recent events
- Unusual tiredness or sluggishness
- Nausea and dizziness
- Severe headache
- Weakness or numbness on one side of the body
If any of the above symptoms are present soon after an accident or injury, you should seek immediate medical attention. It is even possible to suffer from a brain injury and still feel fine. Some victims have suffered serious brain injuries in an automobile accident, yet have been able to get out of their car and direct traffic away from the scene. Therefore, if there is any question at all whether a brain injury could have occurred in an accident, it is critical to go to the nearest hospital for a thorough medical evaluation.
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