Traumatic brain injuries (TBI) are very common and serious injuries. In 2014 alone, there were about 2.87 million TBI-related emergency visits, hospitalizations, and deaths in the United States. TBIs typically occur in incidents that involve a blow to the head. Common incidents that cause TBI include sports injuries, falls, vehicle crashes, and assault. TBI can range from mild to severe, with the most severe cases necessitating life-saving surgery.
Types of Traumatic Brain Injuries
There are many types of TBI which can impact the brain. Many types of TBI, in fact, can affect various areas of the brain. Regardless of which area of the brain it affects, TBIs can often lead to changes in someone’s mental and physical abilities, as well as their personality and emotions. Most people who suffer from severe TBIs will need rehabilitation to relearn skills and recover from their injury.
Here are the different types of TBI:
- Concussion – This is a mild brain injury that usually doesn’t cause permanent brain injury. It can be caused by direct blows to the head, violent shaking of the head, whiplash, or any other trauma from an impact or sudden momentum change. A person with a concussion may or may not experience a brief loss of consciousness.
- Contusion – Also called coup or contrecoup injuries, contusions are bruises to a specific area of the brain and can lead to bleeding. These are typically caused by a direct impact to the head. In coup injuries, the brain is injured directly under the impact area, while it is injured on the side opposite the impact in contrecoup injuries.
- Diffuse axonal injury (DAI) – This TBI can be caused by shaking, as in Shaken Baby Syndrome, or by strong rotational forces, such as in a car accident. With diffuse axonal injuries, nerve tissue throughout the brain is torn, which causes brain chemicals to be released, leading to additional injury.
- Hematoma – A hematoma is a blood clot that forms when a blood vessel ruptures. Symptoms vary depending on the clot’s location. An epidural hematoma forms between the skull and the brain’s dura lining; a subdural hematoma is a clot that forms between the brain and the dura; and a clot that forms within the brain itself is an intracerebral hematoma. No matter where it is, hematomas can either be reabsorbed by the body or be surgically removed.
- Traumatic Subarachnoid Hemorrhage (tSAH) – This is a serious condition wherein there is bleeding in the space that surrounds the brain. It occurs when small arteries are torn during the head injury. The blood will then spread over the brain’s surface, leading to various effects, such as seizures.
Symptoms of a TBI
Depending on the kind of injury sustained, someone with a TBI may express symptoms such as the following:
- Amnesia or memory loss
- Concentration issues
- Confusion
- Disorientation
- Dizziness
- Emotional disturbances
- Fatigue
- Feelings of depression
- Headaches
- Irritability
- Loss of balance
- Loss of consciousness
- Poor attention
- Seizures
- Sleep disturbances
- Visual problems
- Vomiting
If you have been involved in an incident that caused your TBI, which has since left you unable to work, then you should get in touch with disability insurance attorneys in Los Angeles like Haffner Law right away. We will help you get the coverage that you need. Simply call us today at 1-844-HAFFNER or 213-514-5681.
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