Debunking Myths About Traumatic Brain Injury

June 04, 2007

To understand mild brain injury, we need to define it according to medical professionals. According to the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine, mild traumatic brain injury means "a physiological disruption of brain function/activity, manifested by any alteration in mental state at the time of the accident - such as confusion, dizziness or disorientation."

Symptoms of mild TBI may include nausea, vomiting, dizziness, headache, blurred vision and fatigue. If not treated properly, it may lead to further complications. Therefore, mild traumatic brain injury is indeed a serous matter. And it's a recognized disorder by medical professionals.

Myth: A rapidly accelerating/decelerating object must hit your head in order to suffer TBI.

Although the above statement is true, traumatic brain injury can still occur even without an object hitting your head. Babies, for example, may suffer shaken baby syndrome when mishandled. A baby's brain is still underdeveloped and any slight shake inside the brain cavity may affect brain tissue, causing bruises and shears that will greatly affect the baby's health and development. Another example are whiplashes - a sudden backward snap of the head may cause the tempoal lobes of the brain to hit the bony protuberances and ridges of the skull, causing brain tissue bruising and shearing.

Myth: Mild TBI is just temporary.

Even with medical treatment, about 10 to 15 percent of patients who suffered mild TBI have not recovered fully. Some symptoms persist even years after the injury, such has troubling headaches, dizziness and neck pain. Medical professionals call it permanent persistent post-concussive syndrome (PPCS). And in the long run, the consequences of mild traumatic brain injury can be life-altering, disruptive and can cause great loss of quality of life.

There are even more myths out there, and people still have insufficient, if not little regard for this kind of injury. A neurologist can explain to you further regarding your traumatic brain injury case and may work together with your lawyer to get a much better claim. Because the incidence of head injury is actually higher that what statistics predict, knowing these truths about traumatic brain injury may greatly help you deal with the right treatment and rehabilitation.