The human brain is the central control system for life. In addition to allowing thought, reasoning, and processing of information, the brain also controls emotional responses, movement, language and speech, as well as the body’s involuntary activities. These involuntary activities include breathing, circulation, digestion, and hormonal regulation.
As an extremely complex and compact system, the adult brain weighs only about three pounds, but it is essential for everything we do and experience in life. Injuries to the brain can disrupt some or all of its functioning, resulting in short or long-term symptoms and results.
Traumatic Brain Injury
A traumatic brain injury or TBI occurs when an external force is applied to the brain, resulting in damage. This can be a blow to the head, a fall, or any sudden injury. The extent of the damage and the areas of the brain impacted by the injury will determine the specific symptoms experienced by the individual. In both categories of TBI, damage, tearing, swelling, and bruising of brain tissue and damage to the blood vessels occur to some degree.
There are two different categories of traumatic brain injury. A closed brain injury occurs when the brain itself is not penetrated. A blow to the head or a rapid back-and-forth motion of the brain that can occur in a severe car crash are examples of this type of injury. Shaken baby syndrome and sports injuries without a break in the skull are other causes of closed brain injuries.
A penetrating brain injury occurs when an object breaks through the skull and causes damage to the brain tissue. These may also be called open head wounds or injuries.
TBI can be diagnosed as primary, caused directly by the blow or the penetrating object, or it can develop after the primary injury. The time for a secondary brain injury diagnosis can be days after the initial injury, resulting in symptoms that develop over time.
Bruising Issues
When an object hits the head, the brain moves within the skull. This is called coup-contrecoup, with the initial damage after the blow diagnosed as a coup lesion, which results in bruising. The brain then moves within the skull, with the brain hitting the opposite side, resulting in a contrecoup lesion. During this movement, the brain can also rotate, tearing or shearing the long nerve fibers that hold the brain in place in the skull. This tearing is known as a diffuse axonal injury or DAI and may result in a coma and a more significant level of brain damage.
Symptoms of TBI
Individuals with TBI may experience a variety of symptoms that change over time. These symptoms may include:
• Language issues – the individual may experience difficulty in speaking, recalling words, reading, understanding language, writing, and doing math
• Cognitive problems – common issues include difficulty concentrating, problems with decision making and problem solving, decreased awareness, memory problems, confusion, inability to follow directions, amnesia
• Sensory deficits – changes in movement, hearing, smell, touch, taste, and vision
• Motor deficits – tremors, balance problems, lack of coordination, paralysis, muscle weakness, difficulty swallowing, spasticity, fine and gross motor movement problems
• Personality changes – some individuals with TBI may have difficulty in managing emotions, irritability, lack of motivation, low frustration levels, depression, changes in sexual behaviors
A variety of other symptoms can also occur, including seizures and traumatic epilepsy, which can be mild or major and can occur even years after the original injury.
If you or a loved one has experienced a TBI, Moody Neurorehabilitation Institute is here to help. To discuss our programs and services, reach out to us online or call us at 409-797-1477.