Brain Injury FAQs

A brain injury is any trauma to the brain.  It usually results from external trauma such as a blow to the head resulting from a fall, motor vehicle accident, assault, or sporting accident.  You must be aware of the symptoms and causes of brain injury.

Traumatic brain injuries can be sustained in a number of ways, but the most common causes are blows to the head caused by motor vehicle accidents, falls, assault and sporting accidents.  Acquired brain injuries are frequently caused by lack of oxygen or blood flow to the brain by almost drowning, strangulation, choking, heart attack, strokes and exposure to toxic gases or chemicals.

Diagnosis depends primarily on the type of trauma. When the patient has sustained minor trauma, a physician can diagnose the patient physical examination. The physician should monitor the patient carefully to make sure that the patient does not exhibit symptoms of a more serious brain injury after the initial trauma. For moderate to serious trauma, a physician may administer a CAT scan, MRI, SPECT or PET scan to assess the damage.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), an estimated 1.7 million people sustain traumatic brain injuries (TBI) every year. Of them, 52,000 die, 275,000 are hospitalized and nearly 80% are treated and released from an emergency department.

Depending on the severity of the brain injury, brain injuries can seriously impact one’s way of life.  If a person sustained a serious brain injury, she requires physical and neurological rehabilitation as well as psychological counseling.  For more information on how to treat and recover from brain injuries, please visit those sections of our website.