Why is it so important to understand brain injuries?

The thing about a traumatic brain injury is that you can get one doing almost anything in North Carolina, and it can arise from a seemingly mild accident. According to the Mayo Clinic, you do not even have to be hit on the head to sustain a TBI. A blow to the body can jolt your brain so that it collides with the inside of your skull.

There are five primary causes of TBIs:

• Falls
• Car accidents
• Violence
• Sports
• Explosions

After one of these events, you may not immediately notice that your brain has suffered any injury at all. Often, there is a brief lapse in consciousness or a few moments of feeling dazed or disoriented. You may not even realize that you hit your head. However, many people disregard the initial pain thinking it will go away soon. This is a mistake, as a torn blood vessel or bruised brain tissue can lead to pressure within the skull that causes further, more serious damage in the days after the incident.

Symptoms of a TBI range from headache, dizziness and nausea to seizures or a coma. Because the brain is the ultimate control of most bodily functions, a TBI could affect movement, the senses, the emotions, sleep, and of course, thought processes. You may notice strange smells, or you may want to sleep all the time. You could become anxious or angry, or find yourself unable to speak or express yourself the way you used to. Any of these issues is a good reason to visit the doctor for an exam that may include brain scans to look for swelling, bleeding and other damage.

This information is a general overview of TBI, but it should not be considered medical or legal advice.