10 Things You Didn't Know About Traumatic Brain Injury

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10 Things You Didn't Know About Traumatic Brain Injury

1. Concussion is a form of traumatic brain injury (TBI)

Although this common head injury is often seen as innocuous, it is actually an example of a mild traumatic brain injury. Because young children's heads are disproportionately large, concussion occurs more easily in them and it's important that you keep a close eye on a child who has been concussed.

2. TBIs and acquired brain injuries (ABIs) are not the same thing

There can sometimes be some confusion, and understandably so, over the difference between ABIs and TBIs. Perhaps the simplest explanation is that while both types of brain injury do not include any congenital illness that a baby is born with, traumatic injuries occur as a result of external trauma; conversely, acquired brain injuries do not arise from a trauma such as a car crash, but from non-congenital injuries such as strokes and birth injuries.

3. A TBI is made up of a chain of injuries

This isn't to say that there must be three traumatic injuries (as in, three blows to the head for example). However, the first traumatic injury will be quickly followed by a second injury, wherein the brain is starved of oxygen. The third injury can occur as much as weeks later and will be the result of bleeding, swelling or bruising in the brain; or as a result of blot clots.

4. The human brain takes around 20 years to develop fully

Although not strictly a TBI fact, this means that children who suffer a TBI can face major challenges to their development. It can be extremely difficult to predict just how far a brain injured child's development will be impeded.

5. A TBI can cause 'hidden' changes

In the aftermath of a brain injury, a person can look and seem in some ways the same as they were before. However, those closest to the person will often notice changes in the person's behaviour. Lots of children can start exhibiting disruptive behaviour after a TBI, but teachers will not necessarily understand that this can be linked to their injury.

6. Every person's injury is unique and different

While you can class a TBI as moderate, mild or severe, there's no way of pinpointing exactly how it will affect the injured person. Everyone has a different experience and though your doctor will be able to give you advice on how your child is likely to develop, no one person's experience of a brain injury is exactly the same as someone else's.

7. Changes in behaviour caused by TBI can be classed as 'positive' or 'negative'

These terms probably don't have the meaning that you would imagine. In the context of behaviour changes caused by TBI, 'positive' behaviour is used to refer to occasions when there is an excess of normal function. For example, if your child is displaying irritable behaviour or a lack of usual inhibition. 'Negative' behaviour, on the other hand, refers to times when your child experiences a loss of normal function; for example, they may lose interest in activities that they used to love doing.

8. People who have suffered a TBI can find it hard to make plans

If your child has suffered a TBI, he or she may find it hard to make future plans. Brain injuries can inhibit people's ability to work towards future goals.

9. It's not uncommon to feel that the person you love has changed

TBIs can change a person's behaviour and the way they function. It is commonly said that brain injuries don't just affect individuals, but entire families and this is very much true. It can often be the behavioural, rather than the physical changes that are hardest to accept and understand.

10. TBI is more common than you think

The World Health Organisation (WHO) believes that by 2020 TBI could become the third largest source of disease and disability in the world, behind heart disease and depression.

If you want to learn more about traumatic brain injuries, both the Child Brain Injury Trust and Headway are charities that offer plenty of information on their websites. Please see the links below:

Further reading:

If you or a loved one have suffered a traumatic brain injury due to another party's negligence, JMW's personal injury team is here to help. Give us a call on 0345 872 6666 to find out more.

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