Traumatic brain injury, or TBI, is a result of some exterior trauma that leads to brain injury. There are a multitude of different causes for TBI, including but not limited to: sports related injuries, work related injuries like those on construction sites, car accidents, and violence. Depending on the severity of injury and resulting symptoms, traumatic brain injury can be classified as mild, moderate, or severe. It’s important to distinguish the type of TBI that a patient has sustained as it can be a predictor of further complications or length of recovery required. The following breaks down how to classify traumatic brain injury.
Mild Traumatic Brain Injury
This type of brain injury usually occurs due to low impact head injury, like that seen commonly in contact sports. Mild traumatic brain injury typically leads to no immediate loss of consciousness after the initial insult, and has symptoms ranging from migraines and headaches, to difficulty concentrating and low energy. If loss of consciousness does occur, it normally lasts less than 30 minutes, and patients often do not suffer from more serious signs of injury like nausea, vomiting, drooping of eyelids, or loss of sensory and motor function. Along with this, loss of memory may be present, but also usually lasts less than 30 minutes before returning to normal.
Moderate Traumatic Brain Injury
Like mild brain injury, moderate brain injury can also have signs of headache and a decreased attention span. However, loss of consciousness can last greater than 30 minutes but not longer than 24 hours. Loss of memory may also be present for up to a week depending on the severity of injury. More serious signs such as repeated episodes of uncontrollable vomiting, inability to move arms or legs, and severe levels of agitation however are not present.
Severe Traumatic Brain Injury
Severe TBI often is a result of high impact automobile collisions, work related accidents like seen on construction sites, or physical assault using a blunt object. Symptoms typically involve immediate loss of consciousness that lasts longer than 24 hours, and can even progress to long term coma. Unlike mild and moderate traumatic brain injury, loss of memory can last for weeks or even months, and the most severe cases can lead to focal neurological signs like an inability to move one or more extremities. Patients also have repeated episodes of nausea and vomiting, a sign that there has been a greater level of damage within the brain, as well as increased light-sensitivity, agitation, restlessness, and loss of sensation on one or both sides of the body.
Because of the symptoms that are present, recovery could take months or even years. Most patients experience the most recovery after participating in regular physical therapy sessions, receiving adequate rest, and maintaining a proper diet that promotes brain recovery.
Conclusion
Classifying traumatic brain injury is one of the most important steps to determining long term prognosis and recovery. While mild TBI has a greater chance of recovery sooner, more severe TBI can require months or even years for symptoms to completely resolve. Regardless of the severity, consult your doctor for resources on how to best treat traumatic brain injury and ensure a path towards recovery.
Acknowledgement
Maria M. Booking Specialist