How do you get traumatic brain injury?

Ever take a fall and hurt your head? It certainly got your attention, bruised your ego and caused some pain. You probably didn’t give it much thought but that bony skeleton structure known as your “skull” is your first line of defense in protecting your brain.  Unfortunately, your skull is not invincible.

Trauma to the brain is complex because it represents an organ that is the ultimate of complexity and where so many events and conditions can disrupt its activities.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) also know as intracranial injury is the term applied to brain injuries resulting from an external source. A recent and unfortunate example is the attempt made on the life of Representative Gabrielle Grifford where the bullet entered the front and exited the back of her brain.

Traumatic brain injuries come from —

 –  seriously striking one’s head

–  taking an external blow to the head

–  falling with intense impact

–  penetration by a projectile

–  high explosions with blast wave energy (warfare)

–  continual abuse/violence directly or indirectly to the head area

–  accelerating and de-accelerating of the brain from an outside force (fast motion accident and shaken baby syndrome)

The three primary accident situations that lead to TBI include those incurred in transportation, construction and sports. Those most likely to suffer death or disability are children and young adults. Think cars,bicycles, motorcycles, skateboarding, contact sports including cage fighting that shuns any head protection.

According to The Franklin Institute (a science and education center named after Benjamin Franklin) –

“Every 15 seconds, someone in the United States suffers a traumatic brain injury.

Of the 1,000,000 people treated in hospital emergency rooms each year, 50,000 die and 80,000 become permanently disabled because of traumatic brain injury (TBI).

This is higher than the combined incidence of Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and multiple sclerosis.

Brain injuries occur more frequently than breast cancer or AIDS.

One out of every fifty Americans is currently living with disabilities from TBI.

There’s even an association between head injury and Alzheimer’s disease later in life.

You don’t have to be knocked unconscious to sustain a brain injury.

Mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI), also known as concussion, can damage your brain at the cellular level.

Repetitive head injuries, even minor ones, can have serious repercussions – including permanent brain damage or death.”

(http://www.fi.edu/learn/brain/head.html)

Traumatic brain injuries do happen and they can happen to anyone. Be aware and take care.