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What are traumatic brain injuries essay
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Over 1.7 million traumatic brain injuries are reported each year. According to reports the leading cause of brain injuries are from falls followed by motor vehicle accidents, and accidents that were a result of being struck by something. Falls account for 32.5% of traumatic brain injuries in the United States. 50% of all child brain injuries are from falling. 61 % of all traumatic brain injuries among adults are 65 years old or older. Traumatic brain injuries are very violent blows or jolts to the head or body that result in the penetration of the skull. Mild traumatic brain injuries can cause brief dysfunction of the brain cells. Serious brain injuries can cause bleeding, bruising, physical damage to other parts of the body and torn tissues. Brain injuries are more prevalent with males rather than females. Causes of brain injuries include:
• Motor vehicle accidents
• Falls
• Being hit/struck by something
• Assault
• Surgical injury
• Shaken baby syndrome
• Boating accidents
• Swimming accidents
• Playground accidents
• Birth injuries
• Sports injuries
• Medical Malpracti...
Concussions and the effect they have on people ranging from the young to the old has become a very popular discussion in recent years. Generally people watch sports for entertainment and then there are those who engage in high impact sports from a very young age on. The people at home know how fun playing in a sport is, however they may not know the brutal consequences for some participating in that sport. Injuries to the brain are a main concern among those in the world of high impact sports. Football, soccer, wrestling, lacrosse, and rugby are among sports that athletes receive injuries in. The injuries vary from sprains, to fractures, to torn MCL or ACL, and bruised organs. Concussions are a severe type of injury endured by athletes in the sports world and this life changing injury is one that people are becoming more aware of.
Brain damage and death can result from serial concussions (Schafer). When one suffers from a concussion, one’s brain needs time to recover physically and mentally. Between 2002 and 2006, statistics showed that 52,000 people died from concussions and about 275,000 were hospitalized (Fundukian). Everyone’s recovery process is different (“Injury and Pain Care”). Although concussions may seem minor, they are very serious brain injuries that may result in severe damage to one’s brain.
Thesis: Concussions affect children and adults of all ages causing physical, emotional and metal trauma to a person and their brain.
The definition of a traumatic brain injury is damage inflicted to the head/brain due to an external mechanical force, for example falls in elderly people or road traffic accidents in younger people. A standardized approach to assessing the severity of the brain injury is advocated by the means of Glasgow coma scale (GCS). It is the universal classification system and it consists of assessing three categories; Eye, motor and verbal scales. The sum score ranges from 3 to 15. A score of 8 indicates a severe brain injury (Maas et al, 2008). Head injuries are often minor and not life-threatening. Majority of people with minor head injury will not get a subdural hematoma. However, one in three people with severe head injury will. (Willacy, 2011)
Traumatic brain injury or TBI occurs when a child has a head injury that causes damage to the brain. These injuries can be caused from being hit in the head or violently shaken. The results of TBI can change how a person’s brain develops, how they act, move, and think. It can also affect how they learn in school (NICHCY, 2012). TBI can affect the way a child thinks, retains information, attention span, behavior, speech, physical activities (which includes walking), and the way a child learns.
Impacts on the brain can lead to serious health issues if not treated properly. Concussion study should be encouraged throughout hospitals and schools and other institutes due to the major injuries occurred in sports and other numerous activities.
The majority of teens who had encounter a concussion are due to sports. A concussion is a pathophysiological process that impacts the brain, typically caused by a trauma to the brain. Concussions are mainly caused by bumps, falls which makes the head move rapidly back and forth, or by a jolt. The brain is a 3 pound organ floating inside the skull. It’s surrounded by a cerebrospinal fluid, which shocks when its impacted. When the brains starts to move rapidly inside the skull, a concussion has taken place. One common cause is a direct hit to the head. The force makes the brain hit the inside of the skull. When the brain starts to slow down, it hits the other side of the inner skull. The other common scenario is a rotational concussion. This happens when the brain rotates from one side to another. As a result, the brain tissues are strained and sheared. In both cases, fragile neural pathways can be damaged, creating neurological disruption. Scientists suggest if an athlete has already experienced a concussion before, they’re 1-2 times more likely to have a second; 2-4 to have a third; and 3-9 to have a fourth. Surprisingly, research has shown females are more likely to have a concussion, and experience more symptoms compared to males. In addition, women take longer to recover than men. Concussions have shortterm and longterm consequences, or in some cases death.
According to research, and estimated 1.6 to 3.8 million concussions occur in the United States each year. “A concussion is a traumatic brain injury that affects your brain function” Concussions can be caused by a hard fall, a hit to the head, or even violent shaking. Due to the danger they pose to young brains, concussions have been studied to better understand their symptoms, long term effects, and recovery.
injuries from when the brain moves to much or becomes deformed from the impact or
Head injuries are very serious and dangerous. Some head injuries can cause neurological brain damage. They are commonly found in the sports world, putting athletes at risk. There are a lot of head injuries that are dangerous or could cause serious damage brain and in turn, the body. Because of this, precautions, rules, and guidelines need to be in place to prevent and treat these athletes. If these things are not put in place, it could mean the difference between life and death for these athletes. There are many different injuries that can occur to the head and face. Facial injuries can be very dangerous as it can concern the eyes nose and mouth.
When you think of an injury you normally think of a leg or an arm, but did you ever think you can hurt your head just as bad? The common head injury is called a concussion. A concussion is considered a mild traumatic brain injury. Concussions can be caused from several different factors. The two most common factors of a concussion are sport injuries and vehicle accidents. Some mild factors of a concussion are falls, bumps to the head, etc. Although concussions don’t seem to be a severe injury, they have several effects to the human body. Just like any other injury, concussions are a big deal.
A traumatic brain injury can be described as any blow to the head that disrupts the normal function of the brain. The most common type of mild traumatic brain injury is a concussion and is one of the leading injuries among athletes. A concussion is defined as several common presenting symptoms that incorporate clinical, pathological and biomechanical aspects.1 Signs and symptoms of a concussion include physical symptoms such as nausea, headache, vomiting, balance problems, dizziness, visual problems and hypersensitivity to light and noise. Cognitive symptoms commonly include increased concentration issues and feeling mentally foggy, forgetful, confused. Emotional symptoms include irritability, sadness and increased anxiety. Sleep symptoms
My objective in the long term is to provide therapeutic and counseling services that assist persons suffering with traumatic brain injury (TBI) or acquired brain injury (ABI) in coping and recovering from the mental illnesses that often accompany such tragedies. TBI/ABI has shown a proven link with “anxiety, depression, personality changes, aggression (National Alliance on Mental Illness Veterans Resource Center May 8, 2009 Traumatic Brain Injury)”, as well as many other issues. As the caregiver for a survivor of a rare and deadly strain of encephalitis, I have a personal perspective that I feel brings much to the discussion. I see the information I am currently gathering at Empire State College as the building blocks that pave the way to a thrilling career in a growing segment of the mental health industry. The CDC claims that approximately 1.4 million Americans suffer TBIs annually (Centers for Disease Control Injury Center May 30, 2007 Traumatic Brain Injury in the United States: Emergency Department Visits, Hospitalizations, and Deaths) and it has been called the “signature injury” of the current wars in Iraq & Afghanistan by the National Alliance on Mental Illness. As such, it is my belief that we need to focus time and energy on developing new programs to help these patients to cope with the new limitations and encourage rehabilitation and restoration.
Have you ever hit your head on something as silly as a shelf or table? Did you experience any headaches, memory loss, nausea or vision changes following the incident? If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, you may have had a concussion or mild brain injury. Concussions are a current worldwide hot topic, but are they as important as the media portrays them?
Should the fear of brain trauma, change the rules of sports for good? Athletes have been susceptible for brain injuries since contact sports were invented. Although some are familiar with this, many people are unaware of the long term ramifications that often come with these types of injuries. Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, (ALS) is a disease that is slowly plaguing our nation, starting with athletes. It is one of the fatal repercussions of repetitive head trauma, that is often overlooked. CTE, also known as Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy is also a disease caused by head trauma that can drastically impact one’s life. CTE’s have a subset of different associated diseases such as Alzheimer's, Dementia, Parkinsons, and Huntingtons disease.