The Unseen and Unknown Characteristics of Many Traumatic Brain Injuries
A traumatic brain injury, or TBI, sounds serious… and it is. It’s one of the major causes of death and disability across the country, and ER visits, hospitalizations, and deaths have been on the increase for the past two decades. A traumatic brain injury seems like it should be obvious to diagnose. Unfortunately, it’s not—you can have a fairly serious brain injury and not even know it. Consider these things:
- You don’t need to strike your head on anything or make contact with any object to suffer a TBI. You can have serious consequences from a whiplash-type injury, where your head snaps back and forth, causing your brain to bounce off the inside of your skull.
- Likewise, you won’t always feel dizzy or lightheaded, or lose consciousness, when you suffer a traumatic brain injury.
- An X-ray, MRI, or CT scan can come up clean, even though you’ve suffered a traumatic brain injury. X-rays give you a snapshot, but won’t show brain activity. MRIs and CT scans can miss evidence of a TBI.
- Certain medications can mask the symptoms of a TBI.
- Many of the symptoms of a traumatic brain injury can be attributed to other causes—headaches, sleep disorders, depression, or moodiness may not look like a TBI.
How Do You Know If You Suffer a Traumatic Brain Injury?
The best way to confirm whether you’ve suffered a TBI is to seek care from a qualified medical professional. When you have any jarring to your head, shoulders, or neck, or any bump to the head, you should schedule an appointment with your doctor as soon as possible. They will know if it’s in your best interests to see a specialist.
Contact Us to Set Up an Appointment
At Advantage Healthcare Systems, we have extensive experience working successfully with individuals who suffer a concussion or other type of traumatic brain injury (TBI). Call us toll-free at 1-877-487-8289 or fill out the form provided below to schedule an assessment. We offer locations across Texas, including Fort Worth, Dallas, and San Antonio.
