The Tools for Assessing the Level of a TBI
When you’ve suffered any type of bump, blow or trauma to your neck and head, where there is a potential for injury to your brain, you need to seek immediate medical attention. If you don’t go to a hospital emergency room or an urgent care facility, you should schedule an appointment with your primary care physician as soon as possible. Your doctor will be able to assess your condition and either prescribe a course of treatment or refer you to a specialist.
How Will Your Doctor Know the Severity of Your Traumatic Brain Injury?
Typically, one of the first steps medical professionals employ to determine the extent of injuries after any type of accident is some form of imaging, whether it’s an X-ray, an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) or CT scan. These types of tests are generally not very effective in the diagnosis of a traumatic brain injury, as they only detect structural changes, such as fractures, inflammation, bleeding or limited types of tissue damage. TBI customarily involves chemical and physical changes that do not appear on standard imaging tests.
The most reliable tool for determining the extent of any type of brain injury is the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS), first developed in the 1970s. The GCS helps medical personnel make an assessment of the level of brain injury by evaluating three behaviors:
- Eye movement
- Speech
- Body movement
Victims are given points based on how they respond—the more points they receive, the less severe the diagnosis.
With respect to eye movement, a medical professional will rate the patient from one to four, from the inability to open the eyes to the spontaneous ability to do so. For verbal skills, patients are rated from one to five, from the inability to make a sound to the ability to engage in normal conversation. For motor skills, a victim is assessed on a scale of from one to six, from the inability to make any movement to the ability to readily obey any command to perform a physical act.
Contact Us to Set Up an Appointment
At Advantage Healthcare Systems, we have extensive experience working successfully with individuals who suffer any type of concussion, TBI or traumatic brain injury. 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.