Traumatic brain injuries are a common result from playing sports or motor vehicle accidents. If you or a loved one sustained a traumatic brain injury (TBI), it is possible to experience a varying range of severity in symptoms. TBI symptoms vary from mild TBI to moderate or severe TBI.
The changes caused to the brain cells have the potential to completely change who you are and how you live your life. On the mild side, you may experience a concussion. However, those who suffer a penetrating TBI may not survive their injuries.
The King Law Firm is a leading personal injury law firm that focuses on representing those who have suffered traumatic brain injuries. We are committed to helping these victims get the compensation they deserve. In this informative article, we will discuss the causes of traumatic brain injuries as well as the most common effects of these injuries along with what you can do if you are in this situation.
What Is a Traumatic Brain Injury?
A traumatic brain injury is a type of head injury that results from a violent jolt or sudden blow to the head. Any object that penetrates brain tissue can also cause a traumatic brain injury.
With a mild traumatic brain injury, it may only cause a temporary effect. However, a moderate to severe TBI can cause bruising, torn brain tissues, bleeding, and other physical damage which can lead to long-term complications or even death.
What Causes Traumatic Brain Injury?
Head injuries that involve traumatic brain injuries are classified as either closed or open. Closed brain injuries occur when the head is hit but the skull remains intact. The brain is shaken back and forth within the skull, bruising and tearing it. This is the result of slip and fall accidents, car accidents, or sports injuries.
An open brain injury occurs when the skull is penetrated. While this can happen with a gunshot, it can also occur when an object penetrates the skull in a crash. Additionally, if the skull is fractured in any type of fall or accident, the bone fragments can puncture the brain.
What Are the 5 Effects of Traumatic Brain Injury?
When a brain is subjected to trauma by severe injuries, it is no longer capable of working in the way it should. The effects of traumatic brain injury can be slight impairment, such as concussion, or they could result in a severe brain injury that could lead to a coma or brain death.
1. Concussions
Mild concussion is one of the most common effects of a mild traumatic brain injury. Even when they are classified as mild, they can still be serious. You may lose consciousness for a specified amount of time. Depending on the duration you are unconscious, it will impact the severity assigned to your injury.
Longer periods of unconsciousness may cause someone to lapse into a coma. In situations involving mild concussions, it is also possible for post-concussion syndrome to occur, resulting in persistent symptoms such as double vision or frequent headaches lasting longer than expected, ranging from weeks to months.
2. Cognitive Issues
The next most common effect of a traumatic brain injury are cognitive deficits. You may have a shortened attention span, amnesia, confusion, and other memory problems. This can impact your judgment or make it difficult for you to understand certain concepts.
Cognitive therapy will be required to help you adjust to a normal environment or attempt to resume your career at your former capacity. It is a long and difficult road to recovery for those that suffer cognitive issues from a traumatic brain injury.
3. Challenges in Communication and Language
Traumatic brain injury symptoms often include cognitive deficits that impact communication and language, which can hinder your ability to function in daily life. Some people become unable to speak or understand normal speech patterns. You may struggle to form sentences, identify objects, read, or write. It will require lengthy treatment to help you recover from these challenges.
4. Impacts to Motor Skills
A traumatic injury to the brain will commonly impede motor function, making daily tasks difficult. You may experience poor balance and coordination. Weakness, decreased endurance, tremors, and difficulties swallowing are other symptoms of serious injury that has caused brain damage.
Additionally, perceptual and sensory deficits may also be impacted, which makes it hard for those affected to understand where their limbs are. Changes in senses such as vision, taste, and smell are common as well.
5. Functional and Social Impacts
The things that most people do without thinking about them such as walking, eating, or bathing may no longer be possible if you suffer a severe TBI. You may even stabilize and wind up with blood clots or endure a secondary brain injury from brain swelling. When these things occur, they can completely change a person’s personality, affecting their relationships.
Diagnosing and Treating Traumatic Brain Injuries
Whether you have a mild TBI, moderate TBI, or one that is severe, prompt medical treatment is imperative to prevent it from worsening. The doctors will conduct a neurological evaluation and use imaging tests. A CT scan or an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) will check for bleeding blood vessels or swelling in the brain.
Blood tests will also be conducted to help determine the best treatment in an attempt to combat injuries and avoid permanent brain damage. The treatment prescribed will depend on many factors. If you have a skull fracture, your injuries will be considered life threatening and will likely require emergency surgery. You may need physical therapy, speech therapy, or other types of treatments too.
Understanding Your Legal Rights with Severe Traumatic Brain Injury
Brain function is vital to your existence. A severe head injury can lead to a diffuse axonal injury and impact normal brain functions. Whether you have a closed head injury or skull fractures, your life will no longer be the same. If this injury occurred in a traumatic event caused by someone else’s negligence, you have legal options. The King Law Firm can help you seek justice and compensation for these life-altering brain injuries.