What Is A Traumatic Brain Injury?
A TBI is a head trauma caused by an external force, rather than disease that disrupts the normal function of the brain. Symptoms range from “mild” with a brief change in mental status or consciousness to “severe” with an extended period of unconsciousness or amnesia.
The most common form of a TBI is a concussion that may result from motorcycle or car accidents, falls or contact sports. But according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it is still a major public health problem. Each year, about 1.7 million Americans sustain a TBI, leading to a substantial number of deaths and cases of disability. Furthermore, TBI's cost the country more than $56 billion a year in direct and indirect estimated costs.
TBIs have recently received a lot of media attention as mounting evidence links even repetitive minor concussions to long-term brain damage. The elevated focus has come from a barrage of concussion lawsuits that former NFL players have filed against the league. TBIs have also gained notoriety as the “signature wound” of soldiers who have suffered blast wounds in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Although these groups are making headlines, you don't necessarily have to be an athlete or a military veteran to sustain a TBI. Many civilians are also at risk of experiencing a TBI from a bump from falling head first, a blow to the head from an assault or a jolt to the head from whiplash in a car accident.
While there can be clear signs of brain injury such as a penetrating head injury from a gunshot wound or knife wound or other object driven through the brain, other forms of severe TBI such as closed head injury caused by movement of the brain within the skull may not be as obvious.
