Traumatic Brain Injury: Deceleration Injury and Other Causes

April 08, 2011

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, across the nation at least 1.7 million people suffer a traumatic brain injury (TBI) every year. Of those injured, 52,000 die. There are more then 5.3 million people living in the United States with disabilities caused by TBI. These figures may underreport instances of TBI, since those the number of people who receive no hospital or emergency room care is currently unknown.

Traumatic Brain Injury Symptoms

TBI occurs when trauma causes damage to the brain, frequently a result of a sudden and violent blow to the head or an object piercing the skull and entering brain tissue. Since every head injury does not result in TBI and symptoms of TBI vary significantly, self-diagnosis is difficult.

A person experiencing mild TBI may never lose consciousness, or lose consciousness only briefly, and thereafter suffer from:

- Headaches
- Lightheadedness or dizziness
- Fatigue
- Blurred vision
- Ringing in the ears
- Upset in sleep patterns
- Behavioral or mood changes
- Bad taste in the mouth
- Difficulty concentrating or remembering things

Symptoms of severe TBI may also include:

- Unrelenting headache
- Nausea and vomiting
- Convulsions
- Seizures
- Dilation of pupils
- Slurred speech
- Loss of coordination or weakness in the extremities
- Confusion
- Restlessness
- Inability to wake from sleep

TBI may lead to cognitive difficulty or problems with behavior or mental health. In some cases, TBI results in stupor, coma or persistent vegetative state (PVS).

Causes of TBI

Brain injury occurs in different manners, including open head injury, closed head injury, deceleration injuries, chemical or toxic damage, lack of oxygen (hypoxia), cancerous or other tumors, viral or bacterial infections, and stroke. Car accidents are one of the most common causes of brain injury -- usually resulting in closed head or deceleration injuries.

A deceleration injury is so named because it happens when a moving head (such as occurs when a person is traveling in a car) comes into contact with a stationary object and therefore decelerates. The brain moves at a different rate than the skull because it has a different consistency and even different parts of the brain move at different speeds because of their relative weights.

One form of deceleration injury is diffuse axonal shearing; axonal shearing refers to the axons of the neurons being stretched until they tear. This may occur when the brain crashes forward and then slams backward in the skull, causing compression and then stretching.

Although little can be done to reverse the initial brain damage caused by the trauma, immediate medical attention can help with stabilization and damage prevention. Diagnosis may require imaging tests and treatment may involve psychological and language therapy, physical therapy, or surgery. Those who may be suffering from TBI should contact an experienced personal injury attorney to determine whether they have a claim for compensation for their medical expenses and any loss of wages.

Article provided by The Donahey Law Firm
Visit us at www.donaheylaw.com