What Is Traumatic Brain Injury?
The severity, long-term consequences and cause of each traumatic brain injury can vary greatly. Some of the most common causes of traumatic brain injury are:
- Falls
- Motor vehicle traffic crashes
- “struck by/against” events
- Assaults
The Brain Injury Association of America explains that a brain injury may affect the way a person thinks, acts and feels. Within mere seconds, someone’s entire life can change due to a traumatic brain injury, and its lasting effects are both emotional and physical due to damage to the nerves in the brain that direct its activities.
This damage may be temporary or permanent and can cause changes to personality and mood in addition to issues like regulating body temperature, blood pressure, bowels and bladder control. Many people do not realize they have sustained a traumatic brain injury, and may not link symptoms to a past injury.
For example, only in recent years have medical experts begun to understand the severity and long-term effects of concussions. They are particularly concerned about athletes, who often sustain repeated concussion while on the playing field, from the youngest all the way up to professional sports.
