What is traumatic brain injury?
The simplest definition of traumatic brain injury is an alteration in brain function caused by an external force. The external force penetrates the skull or causes the brain to move or rotate inside the skull. An initial head trauma can lead to secondary traumatic brain injury, such as swelling (increased intracranial pressure) and haemorrhaging.
The effect of a traumatic brain injury is to impede the brain’s ability to function, regardless of whether there are also structural changes to the brain.
Learn more here about mild, moderate and severe traumatic brain injury symptoms.
What happens to the brain when it’s injured?
Each traumatic brain injury is unique. The degree of severity of traumatic brain injury directly impacts a person’s ongoing brain function and capacity. An initial impact can cause:
The brain to hit the opposite side of the skull (known as contrecoup injury)
The brain to rotate within the skull, causing a stretch injury to nerve cells or laceration (torn brain tissue)
A change in brain chemicals, cells and structures (these may be referred to neurometabolic changes)
Decrease in cerebral blood flow
Inflammation
A disruption to neurons, which may lead to loss of brain connections and reduced function in that part of the brain
Types of traumatic brain injury
There are many different types of traumatic brain injury, broadly categorised under:
Focal injury, which is confined to one part of the brain
Diffuse injury, which occurs in more than one part of the brain
The type of traumatic brain injury affects how the brain is damaged. Focal TBI and diffuse TBI can occur separately or together.
Focal traumatic brain injury
Examples of focal TBI traumatic brain injury include:
Penetrating injury caused by a significant external force
Skull fracture where the skull bones break or crack due to blunt force trauma, damaging the membranes, blood vessels and brain under the fracture. Helmets can help minimise the risk of skull fractures
Contusions caused by a significant external force. Brain tissue is bruised when the head abruptly decelerates (such as in a high-speed motor vehicle accident or shaken baby syndrome), causing the brain to rapidly move within the skull. A contusion can be:
A coup injury, directly under the site of impact
A contrecoup injury, on the opposite side of the skull from the site of impact
Haematoma caused by a burst blood vessel, leading to bleeding in and around the brain. The type of hematoma depends on where the blood collects, e.g.
Epidural hematoma where there is bleeding into the area between the skull and dura mater (the outermost protective membrane covering the brain). The danger comes from the hematoma exerting pressure on the brain
Subdural hematoma where there is bleeding between the dura and arachnoid mater (a protective membrane covering the brain). The danger comes from the hematoma exerting pressure on the brain
Intracerebral where there is bleeding into the brain itself, causing damage to surrounding tissue
Diffuse traumatic brain injury
Examples of diffuse TBI traumatic brain injury include:
Diffuse axonal traumatic brain injury (DAI), which is widespread temporary or permanent damage to the brain’s white matter. DAI commonly occurs in motor vehicle accidents, falls or while playing sport
Concussion, which a common mild traumatic brain injury. Usually temporary, a concussion can be caused by a blow to the head, a sports injury, fall or motor vehicle accident
Head trauma from shaking (rapid movement of the brain within the skull) which can cause a person to suddenly lose consciousness or change their state of consciousness. A second concussion can follow the first, which can lead to permanent damage or even death
Neurogenerative disease
Traumatic brain injury is associated with an increased risk of progressive neurological disorders, including:
Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) from repeated mild traumatic brain injuries such as from boxing, football, wrestling and rugby
Post-traumatic dementia which can arise after a single, moderate or severe traumatic brain injury earlier in life
Supporting a loved one with a traumatic brain injury
The physical causes of a primary or secondary traumatic brain injury can lead to a range of traumatic brain injury symptoms, depending on whether a TBI is mild, moderate or severe. Each person can experience traumatic brain injury symptoms differently, even when the primary injury is the same. These are grouped into several categories, including:
Physical or functional, impacting how the body works. This can include mobility, altered sensation, sensory impairment, fatigue and epilepsy
Cognitive, impacting how a person thinks, learns and remembers. This can include memory loss, language loss, visual perception (e.g. seeking a dog and thinking it’s a horse), reduced concentration span, reduced ability to process information or switching from one activity to another
Emotional and behavioural, impacting how a person feels and acts. This can include personality changes, mood swings, depression, being socially disinhibited, impulsiveness and aggression
Shine's traumatic brain injury lawyers
Shine’s trusted, compassionate traumatic brain injury lawyers take the time to listen to what happened to you and understand your specific traumatic brain injury and its impacts. Whether your traumatic brain injury was caused by a motor vehicle accident, workplace incident, in public or while playing sport, our traumatic brain injury lawyers work on a No Win No Fee* basis and are dedicated to securing the life-changing compensation for traumatic brain injury that you deserve.
Wherever you are in Australia, get in touch to arrange an obligation-free consultation with a member of our Brain Injury team.
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