Like most of our body, our brain is something we don’t think about much until something goes wrong with it. Active every second of every day, it governs countless functions that shape our lives — influencing how we navigate our environment, manage daily tasks, form relationships and plan ahead.
A brain injury can affect any of the above items in an instant. Even the smallest of injuries can forever change a person’s daily life.
Types of Brain Injuries
The Brain Injury Association of America (BIAA) defines three types of brain injuries:
- Traumatic Brain Injury
- Concussion
- Non-Traumatic Brain Injury
Traumatic Brain Injury
A traumatic brain injury (TBI) occurs when the brain is damaged by a significant blow, jolt, or impact to the head. This can result from automobile accidents, something falling on the head, the head striking something hard, or similar forceful impacts. These are considered severe brain injuries.
Concussions
According to the BIAA, a concussion is similar to a traumatic brain injury but is not necessarily life threatening. They can be caused by events like the TBI, but often involve lower impact forces. They are typically considered by medical professionals as “mild” brain injuries. However, they are clearly still injuries. It is not uncommon for a concussed individual to take months to recover back to their normal activity level without experiencing symptoms.
Non-Traumatic Brain Injury
Like the others above, the non-traumatic brain injury can cause a significant impact on an individual’s daily activities. However, this type of brain injury typically results from internal causes such as genetics, viral or bacterial infections, drug use, exposure to toxins, or lack of oxygen (hypoxia).
Symptoms of Brain Injuries
Brain injury can present with a wide range of symptoms, and each individual experiences a unique combination. These effects may impact physical, sensory, cognitive, emotional, and behavioral functioning.
Physical symptoms of brain injuries
Some symptoms can only be detected by the individual with the injury (e.g. headaches). Others are visible to an outside observer (e.g. slurred speech). The most common symptoms reported and observed are:
- Increase in frequency or severity of headaches
- Nausea or vomiting
- Fatigue or drowsiness at unusual times
- Difficulty with speech
- Convulsions or seizures
- Unequal pupil size
- Clear fluids draining from nose or ears
- Slurred speech
Sensory symptoms of brain injuries
This set of symptoms can be more subtle but can still be disruptive to one’s normal life:
- Dizziness
- Blurred or double vision
- Hearing problems or ringing in the ear (tinnitus)
- Increased sensitivity to light or sound
- Odd taste sensation in the mouth
Cognitive and behavioral symptoms of brain injuries
- Loss of consciousness ranging from a few seconds to hours
- Decrease level of awareness; being dazed or confused
- Increased sense of confusion or disorientation
- Increased loss of memory
- Inability to concentrate
- Change in one’s typical sleep patterns
- Increased frustration or irritability
Symptoms of Brain Injuries in Children
Children experience the same set of symptoms but may have a hard time alerting an adult or sharing clearly what the issues are. Some things to watch out for are:
- Obvious signs of physical trauma
- Uneven pupil dilation size
- Vomiting
- Seizures
- Changes in eating or nursing habits
- Changes in sleep patterns
- Decreased interest in favorite activities
- Decreased sense of balance
- Negative changes in mood such as sadness, depression
- Withdrawing from typical social engagement
When to see a doctor
If you or someone you know has experienced a blow to the head, or is experiencing some of the symptoms above, it is best to seek emergency medical attention.