A look at mild TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury)

A person with mild traumatic brain injury has had a traumatically induced physiological disruption of brain function, which can be determined by, but not limited to, one of the following:

1. any period of loss of consciousness;
2. any loss of memory for events immediately before or after the accident;
3. any alteration in mental state at the time of the accident (eg, feeling dazed, disoriented or confused); and
4. focal neurological deficit(s) that may or may not be transient;

 but where the severity of the injury does not exceed the following:

• posttraumatic amnesia (PTA) not greater than 24 hours.
• after 30 minutes, an initial Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) of 13-15; and
• loss of consciousness of approximately 30 minutes or less;

This definition includes: 1) the head being struck, 

 2) the head striking an object, and

3) the brain undergoing an acceleration/deceleration movement, like whiplash, without direct external trauma to the head.

It excludes stroke, anoxia, tumor, encephalitis, etc. Computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, electroencephalogram, or routine neurological evaluations are normal. Due to the lack of medical emergency, or the realities of certain medical systems, some patients may not have the above factors medically documented in the acute stage. In such cases, it is more than appropriate to consider symptomatology that, when linked to a traumatic head injury, can suggest the existence of a mild traumatic brain injury.

 The criteria above defines the event of a mild traumatic brain injury. The symptoms of brain injury may or may not persist, for varying lengths of time, after such a neurological event. It should be known that patients with mild traumatic brain injury can, and may, exhibit persistent emotional, cognitive, behavioral, and physical symptoms, alone or sometimes in a combination, which can produce a functional disability. These symptoms generally fall into one the following categories, and are additional evidence that a mild traumatic brain injury has occurred:

1. physical symptoms of brain injury (e.g., nausea, vomiting, dizziness, headache, blurred vision, sleep disturbance, quickness to fatigue, lethargy, or other sensory loss) that cannot be accounted for by peripheral injury or other causes;
2. cognitive deficits (e.g., involving attention, concentration, perception, memory, speech/language, or executive functions) that cannot be completely accounted for by emotional state or other causes; and
3. behavioral change(s) and/or alterations in degree of emotional responsivity (e.g., irritability, quickness to anger, disinhibition, or emotional lability) that cannot be accounted for by a psychological reaction to physical or emotional stress or other causes.

 It's important to note that some patients may not admit, or even be aware of, the extent of their symptoms until they attempt to return to their normal functioning. In such cases, the evidence for someone who may be suffering from a mild traumatic brain injury must be reconstructed. Mild traumatic brain injury may also be overlooked in the face of more dramatic physical injury (e.g., orthopedic or spinal cord injury). The constellation of symptoms has previously been referred to as minor head injury, post-concussive syndrome, traumatic head syndrome, traumatic Delphinia, post-brain injury syndrome and post-traumatic syndrome.

 If you've recently had a head, or neck, injury it's always good to get checked out. If you think that you, or someone you may know, is suffering from TBI you should consider talking to a medical expert immediately, especially if you've recently been in an accident, whether it be a car accident, work accident, etc. Always get checked out and make sure you're healthy.