Knowing When a Bump to the Head May Be Serious
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reports more than 200,000 hospitalizations and approximately 70,000 deaths every year for traumatic brain injury in the United States. While estimates are that three of every four traumatic brain injuries are mild (and categorized as concussions), there’s also evidence that up to 40% of mild TBIs can lead to long-term cognitive and/or physical impairments. Knowing the telltale physical symptoms of a traumatic brain injury can lead to early diagnosis and treatment, which can have a significant impact on your eventual outcome.
What Is a Traumatic Brain Injury?
Also known as a TBI, a traumatic brain injury is any type of trauma to your brain caused by an outside force or object (as distinguished from an “acquired brain injury,” commonly caused by an illness or physical deterioration). Though most traumatic brain injuries involve a bump or blow to the head, they can also be caused by a whiplash-like event, where your head or neck snaps violently back and forth, causing your brain to bounce or careen off the inside of your skull. Some of the worst TBIs involve a skull fracture or penetration by an object into the brain.
What Are the Early Warning Signs of a Traumatic Brain Injury?
The symptoms of a traumatic brain injury take three forms: physical, cognitive/behavioral, and perceptual. Let’s look at the physical manifestations of a TBI.
With almost any bump or blow to the head, it is expected that you’ll develop a headache. The headache should, however, subside after a few hours. If it does not, it’s likely that you’ve sustained some level of traumatic brain injury.
It’s important to understand that, while you don’t need to lose consciousness to have suffered a TBI, if you do, the length of time you remain unconscious often indicates the seriousness of your injury. A loss of consciousness of less than 30 minutes is usually symptomatic of a concussion, or mild traumatic injury. Loss of consciousness for more than 30 minutes, but less than 24 hours, generally indicates a mild TBI. Unconsciousness that extends beyond 24 hours can mean that you have suffered a serious traumatic brain injury.
Other physical indications that you’ve suffered a traumatic brain injury include:
- Nausea or vomiting—Some level of nausea is to be expected after any type of head injury, but if the nausea or vomiting does not go away after a few hours, it’s likely that you’ve suffered a significant TBI.
- Dilation of your pupils or a difference in the size of your pupils—A traumatic brain injury may cause damage to oculomotor nerves in your brain, which can cause your pupils to enlarge or become unresponsive or overly sensitive to light. This may also cause some level of double vision.
- Convulsions or seizures—A traumatic brain injury can cause abnormal electrical activity in your brain, which typically appears as sudden and uncontrollable muscle twitches or contractions.
- Uncharacteristic sensitivity to light, sound, smell or touch
- Clear fluids that seep or drain from your ears or nose
Contact Us To Set Up an Appointment
At Advantage Healthcare Systems, we have extensive experience working successfully with individuals who suffer head injuries, including concussions or other traumatic brain injuries. We have the knowledge, skill, experience, and resources to effectively diagnose any type of head injury, and we may either prescribe a regimen of treatment that we will monitor or refer you to a specialist, such as a neurologist or physiatrist, for care. 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.
