Last week we looked at what cognitive rehabilitation is, how it’s used, and its six main components. Now, we’re going to shift and discuss what a brain injury is, how it’s classified, and how the severity of damage is measured.
According to the American Association of Brain Injury, an Acquired Brain Injury (ABI) is a brain injury that occurs after birth that is not hereditary, congenital, degenerative, or induced by birth trauma. The injury results in changes to neural activity, which can cause a decline in mobility, balance, and function.
Declines in certain areas are often dependent on the region of impact, since different brain regions house selective skills and abilities, such as memory, motor movement, decision-making, and concentration.
This invisibility is a main reason he joined the field, he said, finding empathy in the experience. He now works at CPI as a case manager, where he connects survivors to public resources, employment, medical referrals, and housing.
Injuries to the brain have both a primary and secondary damage.
Primary damage occurs from the initial blow and may include a strain or tear in the brain from impact, brain bruising, and bleeding/blood clots.
Secondary damage could include brain swelling, which serves to reduce oxygen flow to the brain, infection from skull openings, secondary bleeding, and changes to cellular makeup that can lead to cell death.
There are two types of Acquired Brain Injuries: Traumatic and Non-Traumatic.
Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI) are changes to brain function due to external force, while non-traumatic brain injuries are changes in brain function due to internal problems.
Causes of brain injury differ depending on the type of acquired brain injury.
For Traumatic Brain Injuries, major causes include falls, assaults, motor vehicle accidents, sport injuries, and IED. Fifty percent of cases are from road accidents, 20-25% from falls, 10-15% from sport injuries, and 10% from assaults. According to the CDC, falls are a major cause of TBI-related hospitalizations, especially among older adults. In older adults, TBIs are often missed or misdiagnosed due to similar symptoms in brain injuries and other medical conditions common in older adults such as Dementia.
For Non-Traumatic Brain Injuries, major causes include stroke, near-drowning, aneurysm, infectious disease, tumor, and anoxia (or a lack of oxygen to the brain).
Severity of injury is determined through two measures: level of consciousness and period of time in post-traumatic amnesia (PTA).
Level of Consciousness is measured by an individual’s reaction to external stimuli, such as eye movement, verbal responses, and motor responses. A scale is used to determine the depth of coma or consciousness, with a lower score indicating a more severe injury.
Period of time in post-traumatic amnesia (PTA) is measured by the time between injury and regaining memory, consciousness, and awareness of time, date, and surroundings. If a PTA period is less than one hour, it indicates a mild head injury while between one hour and 24 hours indicates a moderate head injury. A period of over 24 hours denotes a severe head injury and a period of over a week designates a very severe injury.
That’s all for this week! Next time, we are going to look at the common consequences of a brain injury. Follow along on social media for more!
