Traumatic Brain Injury Essay

Contrary to popular belief, a concussion is not a bruise to the brain caused by hitting a hard surface. Indeed, no physical swelling or bleeding is usually seen on radiological scans. The injury generally occurs when the head either accelerates rapidly and then is stopped, or is spun rapidly.

First we must define what a concussion is, according to Graham, R., Rivara who wrote the book over concussions in youth (2014), states that a concussion is a type of traumatic brain injury—or TBI—caused by a bump, blow, or jolt to the head or by a hit to the body that causes the head and brain to move rapidly back and forth. This sudden movement can cause the brain to bounce around or twist in the skull, creating chemical changes in the brain and sometimes stretching and damaging brain cells. Going more in detail about the inner workings of the brain, it is made of soft tissue. Also cushioned by spinal fluid that both provide a protective shell of the skull. When you sustain a concussion, the impact can jolt your brain. Sometimes, it literally causes it to move around in your head. There are three different types of concussions they are graded as mild (grade 1), moderate (grade 2), or severe (grade 3), depending on such factors as loss of consciousness, amnesia, and loss of equilibrium according to Kimbler,, D. E. (2011) and the news journal Concussion and the Adolescent Athlete. In a grade 1 concussion, symptoms last for less than 15 minutes. There is no loss of consciousness.With a grade 2 concussion, there is no loss of consciousness but symptoms last longer than 15 minutes. And in a grade 3 concussion, the person loses consciousness, sometimes just for a few seconds.A lot of people only think that concussions can come from sports

Different types of intracranial hemorrhages can occur due to injuries to the skull, either directly or indirectly. Epidural hematomas occur when a direct blow to the skull causes injury to the dural arteries or veins that lead to bleeding that accumulates between the dura matter and the skull. If the dural artery is injured, rapid deterioration of the patient neurologic status can occur. As the size of the epidural hematoma increases, the surrounding brain tissues is damaged due to the compression from the pressure of the blood accumulation. The patient may experience a dilated pupil on the side of the injury due to compression of the third cranial nerve. The patient may also complain of a severe headache, visual disturbances and weakness on the opposite side of the injury. If bleeding continues and increases the intracranial pressure, leading to brain shift or herniation of the brain stem which is irreversible and leads to hypertension, bradycardia and respiratory arrest. This trio of symptoms is called the Cushing’s Triad. Epidural hematomas can continue

With the latter of the two of them all being the more frequent causes of brain injury. It has never been clear exactly on how much damage is done and how the symptoms are caused when the injury happens. There has been reported that there is cellular damage that happens in the concussed brain. Currently it is thought that structural and neuropsychiatric factors may be responsible for these effects.

As we all know, the human brain is the most insubstantial and vital organ in the human body as it is the command center for every other body part (newscientist.com). Any slight wound to this organ could lead to severe consequences usually encountered at that very moment. It may be an extremely low chance of a major head injury, but it does happen to millions of people annually. One single concussion, provided with the lack of healing, could lead to short-term and long-term memory loss, depression,

How an injury to the head can do damage to the brain varies. Brain swelling and disruption of blood supply are some direct causes of damage (Kolb & Whishaw, 2009). However, neurological damage develops after (also known as secondary injuries) the immediate moment of impact (Ghajar, 2000). In other words even minor head injuries can lead to lasting disabilities and that the injuries are amassed. Meaning that a minor injury can result in a major impairment (Ponsford, Sloan, & Snow, 2012).

In the U.S. alone, athletes suffer from roughly 300,000 concussions per year; 3,800,000 concussions were reported in 2012, which is double of what was reported in 2002. A concussion may be defined as a type of traumatic brain injury—or TBI—caused by a bump, blow, or jolt to the head or by a hit to the body that causes the head and brain to move rapidly back and forth. This sudden movement can cause the brain to bounce around or twist in the skull, stretching and damaging the brain cells and creating chemical changes in the brain. Concussions are not usually considered life-threatening, but they may result in effects to the brain that may lead to devastating outcomes. Concussions are serious injuries that need to be taken seriously because of their severity and the serious health disorders that may arise.

Concussion is defined as a biomechanically induced brain injury, and classified as a mild traumatic brain injury that interrupts normal brain function. Every person is different, and every person will respond in their own way to a concussion. No anatomical lesions are present to cause the associating symptoms such as; possible loss of consciousness, dazed appearance, dizziness, headache, nausea, confusion, and tinnitus. These

A concussion is a mild head injury which is sustained by a jolt or impact to one's head. “Concussions can be caused by a variety of traumatic events: motor vehicle accidents, penetrating injuries, sports injuries, strikes, and falls”(Schafer, 2014). Side effects of concussions range from clumsiness. slurred speech, nausea or vomiting, headache, balance problems or dizziness, blurred vision, sensitivity to light and noise, sluggishness, ringing in the ears, personality changes, difficulty concentrating and memory loss. A concussion is similar to a bruise on an arm or leg but instead the bruise is on the tissues of the brain. Since people can’t see the damage of the injury to the brain many concussions go undiagnosed or untreated for days weeks or even years. When a concussion goes undiagnosed or untreated it can result in further head trauma: untreated it can lead to blood clots and tumors in the brain, an onset of parkinson’s disease and in worst cases death. However it wasn't until 2011 that the issue of concussions went into the public spotlight.

There are long-term as well as short-term symptoms. The most common symptoms are confusion, headaches, dizziness, nausea, difficulty with memory, and disturbances with vision. Other symptoms include clumsiness, slurred speech, sluggishness, ringing in ears, and behavioral or personality changes. There are three different types of concussions and the symptoms vary for each. These three are grade 1, 2, and 3. In a grade 1 concussion, there is no loss of consciousness and symptoms last for no longer than 15 minutes. Grade 2 concussions entail no loss of consciousness but symptoms last a bit longer. Finally, in grade three concussions, symptoms last for weeks and even months with the immediate symptom of losing consciousness. Even if you don’t feel any symptoms, your brain is still not 100 percent. In addition suffering one concussion makes someone more susceptible to suffering an additional concussion. If you were to suffer multiple concussions, it puts you at risk for second impact syndrome, which has its own symptoms very similar to any normal concussion. This condition could be life threatening. (Retrieved from http://www.nationwidechildrens.org/concussions-in-sports) This is very uncommon in most people and really only applicable to athletes but leagues have still taken action to avoid this condition. If anyone has any symptoms of a concussion or hit their head hard enough, they should see a doctor

Primarily, a concussion is an injury to the brain, caused by a hit or fall. Sometimes a person will have visible bruises, but sometimes there are no visible signs of a brain injury. A person does not have to lose consciousness to have a concussion. Some people recover in a few hours, while others will take weeks to recover. Symptoms include loss of

Brain trauma can cause a build -up of abnormal types of protein called tau, which slowly kills brain cells. Once started, these changes in the brain appear to continue and

This “involves either the head striking a hard surface or a rapidly moving object striking the head. The dura mater remains intact and brain tissues are not exposed to the environment”(McCance & Huether, 2014, p. 582). Closed (blunt) trauma can be classified as primary (injury results from the initial anatomical and physiological insult usually direct trauma to the head) and secondary (results from hypotension, hypoxia, acidosis, edema, or factors that can secondarily damage brain tissue)(Rangel-Castilla, 2014, p. 2). It can also cause mild concussion (characterized by immediate but transitory clinical manifestations) and classic cerebral concussion (any loss consciousness accompanied by retrograde and anterograde amnesia)(McCance & Huether, 2014, p. 587). The degrees of concussions

Traumatic brain injury (TBI), or intracranial injury, is a medical diagnosis which refers to closed or penetrative damage to the brain that is caused by an external source. Every year, TBIs affect approximately 150-250 people in a population of 100,000 (León-Carrión, Domínguez-Morales, Martín, & Murillo-Cabezas, 2005). The leading causes of TBI are traffic accidents, work injuries, sports injuries, and extreme violence (León-Carrión et al., 2005). TBI is most often fatal when the cause is an injury due to the use of firearms, a traffic accident, or a long fall (León-Carrión et al., 2005). However, fatality rates and rates of occurrence differ in various countries due to

Traumatic Brain Injury is otherwise known as TBI. “Traumatic brain injury, a form of acquired brain injury, occurs when sudden trauma causes damage to the brain. TBI can result when the head suddenly and violently hits an object, or when an object pierces the skull and enters brain tissue” (NINDS, 2010). There are two main types of TBI, closed head injuries such as head hitting a windshield and penetrating head injuries such as a gunshot wound. As reported by the Global Neuroscience Initiative Foundation,” The severity of traumatic brain injuries is often assessed using the Glasgow Coma Scale, with scores ranging from 3 to 15. The higher the score,